The Lion and The Mouse
by Mistah K
Summary: In a world where it's survival of the sickest, Richard Blaine is as sick as they come. He's cold, he's ruthless. He's a killer. And he's the best in the business. But has Blaine bitten off more than he can chew when he meets the kid from Vault 101?
1. Hello and Goodbye

Roy Phillips considered himself to be one tough son of a bitch. You had to be, just to survive in the smoothskin infested hell hole known as the Capital Wasteland. He was a ghoul who could look death straight in the eye and spit in its face. One thing he hadn't counted on was it spitting back.

Roy wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead as he hobbled down the tunnel. He lurched forward and instinctively grasped at the walls with his decayed claw of a hand. Regaining his balance, he continued onwards, doing his best to ignore the white-hot agony lancing its way up his leg and the mounting sense of panic that was beginning to cloud his mind. They were dead. Every single one of them. Michael, Bessie, even the ferals. None of them had stood a chance. That smoothskin fucker had torn through them like some kind of demon.

And Roy was next.

Roy wasn't easily intimidated, but something about that freak chilled the ghoul to his very bones. He shook his head and allowed a low growl to escape through his gritted teeth. He'd be damned if he let some psychotic smoothskin have his way. If there was one thing Roy Phillips was good at, it was surviving.

He froze as his sensitive ears picked up the muted thud of a foot hitting concrete. The smoothskin was close. Roy's hand darted towards his assault rifle. If he was going down, he was going down in a blaze of glory. He took a deep breath and let his tattered eyelids droop. Every sense became heightened as he passed into a state of supreme alertness.

"If this bastard thinks I'm going down easy," muttered Roy under his breath.

Another faint thud.

"He's got another thing coming."

Another one, this time accompanied by a barely audible click. Roy's eyes snapped open. The bastard had just reloaded.

"See you in hell!"

Roy unleashed a primal roar as he whipped around, his rifle roaring to life. The tunnel was filled with bright flashes of light and the earsplitting clang of bullets rebounding off of the side of the train. Roy snarled as his rifle clicked empty. It could have been his imagination, but he swore he heard a dark chuckle coming from behind him. Roy span around and found nothing but a brick wall.

Feeling his heart pounding against his ribs, he grasped at his belt for a fresh clip, but found none. The ghoul snorted in disgust and threw the rifle to the ground. The weapon clattered to the conrete, the sound seemed deafening in the heavy silence that now filled the tunnel. Roy drew a knife from his belt and slashed it through empty air. His fate was sealed, but he was determined to give the smoothskin a lasting reminder of just who the hell Roy fucking Phillips was.

"Show yourself, you dirty smoothskin! Come out and fight!"

Roy's ears were suddenly overwhelmed by an immense explosion of sound and he found himself writhing on the ground, clutching at the bloodied stump which had once been his leg. A howl of agony leapt unbidden from the ghoul's maw before he snapped his jaws shut, stifling his cries. He looked up with glazed eyes to see the blurry outline of a man standing over him, shrouded by a pale light.

Roy shook his head, forcing his vision to clear and fixed the smoothskin with a baleful glare, getting a good look at the bastard who would undoubtedly end his life. A muddied trench coat obscured most of the smoothskin's body, though glimpses of what appeared to be combat armour could be seen through the ragged gashes that marred the cloth. The smoothskin stared down at Roy, his face illuminated by the flashlight clutched in his gloved hands. A tangled mop of dark hair obscured the man's face, but what could be seen was twisted into a triumphant grin.

"What are you waiting for? Get it over with," snarled the ghoul.

The smoothskin brushed a few strands of hair from his face and raised an eyebrow. He studied the ghoul for a moment, his brown eyes inquisitive. Roy was struck by how cold those eyes were, despite the smile that spread across the man's face.

"I just wanted to let you know, that I've got nothing against your kind. It's nothing personal, this is strictly business. Alistair Tenpenny pays well."

A gob of spit flew from Roy's mouth to splat against the man's coat. The man rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Look, I don't like this any more than you do. I don't _want _to kill you. If you were to make me a better offer than Tenpenny...."

Roy's eyes flashed and he let out a rasping bark of a laugh.

"Do I look like I can outbid Tenpenny?"

"I suppose not."

Fast as a snake, Roy's hand shot towards the smoothskin's leg, hoping to catch him by surprise. There was a flash of light and a bang. Roy roared and clutched the bloodied mess that had once been his hand to his chest. The smoking .44 Magnum disappeared into the folds of the smoothskin's coat as his eyes gleamed momentarily with what appeared to be amusement.

"You just had to make this difficult for yourself didn't you?"

"Go to Hell!"

There was a menacing hiss of cold steel as the smoothskin produced a sword from behind his back. The slender blade glinted in the dim glow produced by the flashlight. Roy's vision began to blur once more and he began to feel the strength fading from his limbs. A voice pierced through the thick fog that was beginning to cloud his mind.

"Any last words?"

With an effort, Roy managed to croak out an answer.

"Yeah...fuck...you."

"Not the most eloquent response, but I suppose it's what I should expect."

Roy watched the sword poised above his scalp with glazed eyes.

"I'll _try _to make this as painless as possible."

There was a flash of steel and Roy Phillips saw no more.


	2. Revolution is My Name

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Fallout, Bethesda does. Kudos, Bethesda._**

**_Also, there's some adult content in this chapter. You were warned, kiddies._**

**Revolution is My Name**

Richard Blaine took a sip from the wine glass, smirking slightly at the uneasy eyes boring into him from all directions. He swung his feet up onto the table and sank deeper into the arm chair. He figured he might as well make himself as comfortable as possible.

Tenpenny Tower. A veritable cesspool of corruption and bigotry. Despite its promises of security and comfort, in his mind it was no better than any other shit hole in the Capital Wasteland. He'd rather take his chances in Old Olney than be trapped in a stuffy little Tenpenny suite. He took another sip and let the empty glass drop from his hand, hearing it shatter on the floor. An elderly man of asian descent that had been staring at Blaine from the corner of the room flinched at the sound.

Blaine threw back his head and laughed. God, messing with these snobs was _fun. _It helped that they all appeared to be absolutely terrified of him.

Richard Blaine wasn't what most people would call a 'good man'. He freely admitted this, and to be honest it did wonders in opening up new business opportunities. Employers weren't looking for a nice guy with a heart of gold, what they wanted was a ruthless son of a bitch who could put a bullet through a human skull without batting an eyelid. He credited this attitude as being a major factor in the degree of notoriety which he had acquired over the years. He took any job, regardless of what it involved, as long as it paid well.

Many compared him to the mercenaries of Talon Company, but Blaine considered himself different in two ways.

One, he preferred to work alone. Anyone else would have just gotten in his way. And two, unlike those incompetent idiots from Talon Company, he had a 100 percent success rate. No matter what, Richard Blaine never failed.

Ever.

Blaine raised an eyebrow as a man slid into the seat directly opposite him. Evidently, at least one person in Tenpenny Tower had a set of balls. He kicked his feet off of the table and leaned forward, staring intently at the newcomer. Blaine had to admit, the fellow was a snappy dresser. A sharp suit, dark hat and tinted spectacles. Not too shabby.

"What brings you to the Federalist Lounge, friend?" asked the man.

Blaine tilted his head to the side, his eyes gleaming.

"Might I ask who you're supposed to be?"

"Ah, how rude of me. My name is Mister Burke. I assume you're Richard Blaine? Gustav says you handled our ghoul problem."

Blaine remained silent, his brow furrowed with concentration. After almost a minute of silence, he spoke.

"I like your hat."

The thin lines of Burke's eyebrows rose above his spectacles.

"Let's try to focus on the matter at hand."

Blaine sighed and reached beneath the table. He produced a burlap sack which he dangled in front of Burke's face. Its contents emptied onto the desk with a loud thud, accompanied by the screams of several of the surrounding residents.

To his credit, if Burke was surprised to find the decapitated head of a ghoul staring up at him, he didn't show it. He averted his gaze from the head of Roy Phillips and looked up at Blaine, his expression unreadable.

"A finger or an ear would have sufficed."

Burke clicked his fingers and one of the guards standing by the wall hurried over and picked up the head. Blaine chuckled at the petrified expression on the fellow's face as he scurried away. The stares of the people in the Lounge had become even more horrified, but Blaine ignored them, his attention now focused elsewhere.

"I could have gotten an ear or finger from any old ghoul I came across. At least now you know for sure that I did my job," said Blaine with a shrug.

A smile crept across Burke's face.

"I must say, Mister Blaine, I am quite impressed. Here is your reward, 500 caps, as promised."

Blaine stared at the hefty bag sitting on the desk in front of him. He picked the bag up and turned it upside down, unleashing a sparkling waterfall of caps onto the table. The corners of Burke's mouth twitched slightly as Blaine began to pick up the caps and return them to the bag, one by one.

"What exactly are you doing?"

Blaine looked up from the caps, smiling happily.

"I'm counting my caps, Mister Burke."

"I can assue you that everything is in order."

"I really hope that it is, Mister Burke. You see, because if I find that you've cheated me of even _one _cap, everyone in Tenpenny Tower is going to die."

"Is that a threat?"

"No, it's a warning."

"I hope you realize that I could have you killed right now."

Blaine paused for a moment to hold a cap up to the light.

"That would be a very bad idea, Mister Burke."

Burke's face remained expressionless.

"If you make any remotely threatening gestures, then this bottle cap in my hand is going straight through your eye. And see that sword on the floor?"

He flicked his head towards the sheathed blade sitting on the floor beside his chair.

"Its name is Sam. I'm going to use it to cut off your head."

"You're bluffing," scoffed Burke.

Blaine flicked his wrist and a bottle sitting on the counter several metres away exploded in a shower of beer and shattered glass. Burke made to get out of his chair but he froze as a .44 Magnum appeared in Blaine's hand. The pair remained perfectly still as everyone around them panicked, flooding out of the Lounge accompanied by a symphony of frightened yells and shrieks.

Blaine kept pistol pointed directly at Burke's face, grinning madly all the while.

"Still think I'm bluffing?"

He felt something hard and cold pressed against the back of his head.

"Don't move, scumbag. Drop the weapon."

Blaine's grin widened.

"I'm sorry, but to do that I'll have to move. I wouldn't want to go against your orders now, would I?"

The guard growled menacingly.

"Come on, tough guy. Pull the trigger. You know you want to. But I guarantee you that I can knock you to the floor and slap you three times before the bullet leaves the chamber," said Blaine, his voice low and menacing.

"Is that supposed to scare me?"

"No. But the fact that I just pulled the pin on a grenade should. See you in hell, motherfucker."

The pressure on the back of Blaine's head lessened slightly. That was all he needed. Before the guard coud even blink, Blaine had leapt out of his chair and knocked the assault rifle aside with his elbow. Before the guard could retaliate, Blaine lunged forward and connected with a blindingly fast elbow to the guard's temple. The guard's eyes rolled back in his head and he swayed on his feet unsteadily. Blaine's left hand shot out and encircled the guard's throat while his right resumed pointing the magnum at Burke's face.

This all happened in just over a second.

The guard gasped, clawing at Blaine's arm but to no avail. Blaine looked over the guard's shoulder to find two more of them standing uneasily in the doorway, guns ready but unable to get a clear shot. He turned his head back to Burke and found to his disappointment that the man remained sitting at the table, his expression perfectly calm.

The grin disappeared from Blaine's face.

"Say goodbye, Mister Burke."

He squeezed the trigger. Burke visibly flinched as the gun clicked. Empty.

"Gotcha."

Blaine released the guard's throat and he staggered backwards, gasping for breath. His comrades started forward, rifles raised but Burke lifted a hand, causing them to stop in their tracks. Blaine scooped the remaining caps back into the bag and nodded at Burke, who remained frozen in his seat.

"That's it? You're not even going to count them?"

Blaine laughed.

"Count them? To be honest, I don't really care. No matter how much is actually in here, it's still enough to keep me well fed and well armed until my next job."

Burke took off his glasses and glared at the mercenary.

"Then what exactly was all that meant to accomplish?"

Blaine shrugged as he holstered his magnum.

"Nothing. I just wanted to watch you squirm."

Burke continued to glare balefully at the mercenary, his eyes smouldering. Blaine waved dismissively and turned away.

"Nice doing business with you, Mister Burke."

He started to walk towards the door, giving the still uneasy guards a salute as he approached them.

"Wait. I think you'll want to here what I have to say." Burke's voice quavered with barely concealed rage.

Blaine paused, not bothering to turn around.

"I'm listening."

"How would you like me to double the amount of caps that you have just acquired?"

Blaine turned around slowly, his expression curious.

"You've got another job for me?"

Burke smiled and waved the guards away. All traces of anger had disappeared from his face. They filed out of the room and closed the door behind them. The only individuals that remained in the Lounge were Burke, Blaine and the robotic barkeep, Shakes. The protrectron continued about its business as if nothing of interest had happened in the past few minutes. Burke placed his sun glasses back on and rose out of his chair.

"I assume you've heard the news of the girl that escaped from Vault 101."

"I've heard it mentioned on the radio once or twice," said Blaine, nodding.

"She's recently caused me a terrible amount of inconvenience. I want you to bring her to me. Alive."

"Alive? That's not usually the way I work."

"You're the best, or so you claim."

"I'm not saying I can't do it, I'm just saying that if you want her alive, it's going to cost you."

"How much do you want?"

"Your hat."

"What?"

"Your hat. I want it."

Blaine gestured towards Burke's headpiece, trying his best not to burst into laughter as Burke's fingers automatically flew up to his head. His hands quickly dropped downwards to adjust his tie.

"Let's try to be serious now, Mister Blaine."

"I'm dead serious. Give me your hat or find someone else."

Burke's hands twitched, hovering dangerously close to the 10mm pistol at his waist. With a defeated sigh, he sank back into his chair.

"Fine. Take it."

Blaine just barely managed to keep a straight face as he walked over to Burke and plucked the hat from his head. He twirled it on his finger, grinning down at Burke as he did.

"Now, where exactly is Little Miss Vault 101?"

-------------

"Welcome to Megaton, stranger."

Blaine tipped his recently acquired hat to the dark skinned man and treated him with a warm smile, playing the part of the friendly, wide-eyed newcomer. He'd visited Megaton a few times, never long enough to draw attention or stick in anyone's memory. Megaton was a town that still abided by the principles of law and justice, thanks to its surprisingly competent sheriff. Blaine made sure to keep his head down and his nose clean in places like this.

"Lucas Simms is the name. What brings you to this neck of the woods?"

"I'm looking for a friend. She's a girl, young, came from Vault 101. You seen her?"

Lucas' eyes twinkled as a deep laugh rumbled from out of his sternum.

"That kid is a godsend, let me tell you that. See that bomb over there in the centre of the town? She disarmed it, no problem. Saved all of us a lot of trouble."

Blaine whistled, genuinely surprised by what he had heard.

"She disarmed a nuclear bomb? That's pretty damn impressive."

"You're tellin' me. She left here about two days ago. No idea where to though. Sorry."

Blaine sighed and shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. Say, do you know where I can get a drink?"

"Moriarty's Saloon, over that way. Watch out for Moriarty though. Don't trust the guy, no matter what."

Blaine waved politely as Lucas walked away. He headed off in the direction Lucas had pointed out, the gears in his brain turning as he began to plan his search. He'd have to personally interview each and every person in Megaton to find out where the girl had gone to. The local drinking hole seemed like a good place to start. Alcohol had a wonderful tendency of loosening tongues.

Blaine stepped through the door of the saloon, his eyes quickly scanning his surroundings. He rolled his eyes as he approached the counter, the door swinging shut behind him. It didn't matter where you were, every bar in the Capital Wasteland was the same. Dank, seedy, and entirely repellent. The stench of alcohol hung heavy in the air and the only sounds were the dejected shuffling and murmurs of the saloon's patrons.

As soon as Blaine had taken a seat at the counter he felt a light tap on his shoulder.

"Care for some company, stranger?"

Blaine turned to see a red headed woman staring at him with hungry eyes. He looked her up and down, taking care to keep his face as impassive as possible. The woman smiled and winked at him.

"Don't often get handsome men like you around these parts."

"You're pretty easy on the eyes yourself."

The woman laughed and slapped him daintily on the shoulder.

"You're quite the charmer. I'm Nova."

"Brian Danielson."

Tired of the small talk, Blaine decided to cut to the chase.

"I'm looking for someone. Do you have any idea where the girl from Vault 101 went?"

Nova put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips.

"I remember her. I overheard Moriarty and her say something about-"

She paused, clearly nervous for some reason. Blaine cleared his throat. He was close, he knew it.

"Sorry, sugar. I can't say any more. You'll have to talk to Moriarty. Give me a shout if you want to do more than just talk."

With that, she sauntered away.

Blaine sighed and turned back to the counter. He was greeted by the misshapen face of a ghoul.

"What can I get you?"

"Just a beer, please," said Blaine, too deep in thought to pay any attention to the ghoul. That woman had definitely known something.

"Right away. Geez, you smoothskin's seem to be gettin' nicer, dare I say it. First, that Vault girl talked to me like she didn't even care I was a ghoul and now you're saying _please _like I'm-"

Blaine's eyes snapped upwards.

"Wait, Vault girl?"

"Yeah, nice kid."

"Do you know where she went?"

The ghoul gulped and Blaine saw the muscles tense through the ravaged skin on his throat.

"I'm not sure I should be talking to you about that."

Blaine growled. This was getting ridiculous.

"Why not?"

The ghoul drew back slightly when he saw the expression on Blaine's face.

"I'd love to help you, smoothskin. I really would. But Moriarty-"

The ghoul's eyes widened all of a sudden and he turned away, suddenly absorbed in polishing an empty mug.

A man with greying hair and a beard took a seat next to Blaine and held out a hand. Blaine eyed the appendage apprehensively.

"Colin Moriarty, at your service," said the man, his accent undeniably Irish.

Blaine took his hand, noting the older man's firm grip.

"Brian Danielson."

Moriarty smiled, revealing cracked and yellowed teeth.

"I overheard you asking ol' Gob here about the kid from Vault 101."

"That's right."

"Well, if you've got any questions, I've got the answers. For a price, of course."

"How much are we talking?"

Moriarty cocked his head, studying Blaine intently. His eyes drifted to the sword hilt poking out from behind the mercenary's shoulder.

"That's a nice sword you've got there. Looks like it could fetch quite a few caps. What do those runes on the hilt mean?"

Blaine resisted the urge to reach up over his shoulder and run his fingers over the golden runes that adorned the blade's handle.

"Get to the point already."

"Give me the sword and I'll tell you anything you want to know."

Blaine adjusted the strap that held Sam to his back.

"With all due respect, fuck off."

Moriarty's eyes flashed.

"Excuse me, lad?"

"Fuck off. No deal. I'll give you as many caps as you want, but the sword stays with me."

"I don't think you get it," growled Moriarty. "This is _my _town. What I say goes. No one refuses Colin Moriarty."

Blaine stood up, towering over the Irishman.

"I just did. So unless we can negotiate something else, I think I'll take my leave."

"You've just made a powerful enemy, my friend."

"I'm shakin' in my boots."

Moriarty scowled and got off of his stool. He glared into Blaine's cold eyes before stalking off, muttering under his breath.

Blaine remained standing there, groaning inwardly. Moriarty was his best chance at getting the information he needed and he'd just blown it. He turned around and a lightbulb flashed in his head when he spotted the red headed woman chatting up someone in the corner.

Desperate times called for desperate measures.

-----------

Nova pushed the man in the trench coat onto the bed and locked the door behind her. The man sat on the bed, staring at her with a huge grin on his face. Nova smirked. Men. They were all the same. His name escaped her, but she had to admit, this one was kind of handsome in a rugged, dusty way. Nova didn't particularly care what he looked like though. As long as he payed her, she didn't give a rat's ass.

The man took his hat off and threw it to the side. Nova followed suit and let her blouse slide to the floor as she began to run her hand over the smooth skin of her bare stomach.

"I'm going to do things to you that'll make your toes curl," she breathed.

Without warning, the man leaped up from the bed and crushed his lips to hers.

Nova's eyes widened in surprise as she felt herself being pushed backwards. Her back hit the wall and a pair of rough hands appeared on either side of her head. Their tongues grappled for control but eventually Nova gave in, her eyelids fluttering as the man brushed his hand up and down her side.

The man suddenly broke away. Nova automatically leaned forward, wanting more, but the man's hand grasped her shoulder and pushed her back to the wall again. A smirk was plastered across the man's weather beaten face. Nova giggled, her eyes bright.

"Oh, you're a lot more fun than I expected."

"Babe, you have no idea."

The man buried his face in Nova's neck and she closed her eyes, letting out a soft moan. The man drew back again, lickings his lips. He pressed his face up against Nova's, both of them breathing heavily.

"Do you want to know what I'm going to do to you?"

"Tell me," she whispered.

Nova's hands twisted the man's coat as her heart beat like a drum inside her chest.

"I'm going to pin you up against this wall..."

The man's fingers danced up Nova's thigh.

"Please..." she moaned as the man's tongue massaged her earlobe.

"And fuck you until your throat is hoarse from screaming my name."

The man's lips began to ravage hers again and she groaned into his mouth, her hands clawing at his dark hair. The man broke the kiss and pressed his entire body up against Nova's, crushing her to the wall.

She opened her mouth to say something, but all that came out was an incomprehensible string of moans. The man growled into her ear as he hitched up her leg, his fingers digging into the flesh on her thigh with delicious force. Her eyes rolled back in her head as she moaned again, long and low.

"Oh _God_..."

Suddenly, the man pulled back and Nova became aware of the cold metal digging into her wrist. She looked at her hand and saw that she had been handcuffed to the radiator. She fixed her lust filled eyes back onto the man and grinned.

"Handcuffs, huh? Kinky."

Her grin faltered slightly as the man pulled a gun out of his coat.

"Don't try to call for help, unless you want to die."

"Okay, maybe we need a safe word or something."

She gulped when she saw the glacier-like coldness in the man's eyes.

"You're going to tell me where the girl from Vault 101 went. Or I'm going to kill you. "

Nova's eyes widened as the realisation set in.

"You're not kidding, are you?"

"Do I look like I'm a person who kids?"

The man raised the gun.

"I can't tell you! Moriarty will-"

"Do you want to know what I'm going to do to you?"

"Please..."

Her eyes darted from place to place, trying desperately to find a way out.

"I'm going to shoot you in your right leg. Then I'm going to shoot you in your left leg. Then I'm going to shoot you in the stomach. And then I'm going to shoot your head."

"I told you! I can't-"

"One."

The handcuffs rattled against the radiator as Nova struggled to break free, tears streaming down her face.

"Two."

"Don't do this!"

"Three."

"Okay, okay!" she screamed.

The man lowered the gun slightly.

"I overheard Moriarty telling her to go to the Galaxy News Radio headquarters to see Three Dog. Something about her Dad. Please don't hurt me," she sobbed.

The gun disappeared into the man's coat. He strolled casually over to where his hat lay on the floor and scooped it up before returning it to its place on his head.

"See? Was that so hard?"

Without another word, he opened the door and walked out, slamming it shut behind him. Nova sank to her knees, breathing hard.

"I hate my job..."

---------------

_**Author's note:**_

_**The content in this chapter is pretty risque. I'm going to poll you guys, judging from this chapter, should I change the rating to M? Mind you the actual act of sex will never be portrayed in this fic. Just violence and suggestive situations. :)**_

_**MK, out.**_


	3. Mental Health

**Mental Health**

"Swagger! Cover me!"

Initiate Swagger lunged out from behind the wall, his assault rifle blazing. The Super Mutant staggered backwards, clawing at its face as the bullets ripped into its tough green hide. Paladin Hale darted past his subordinate, moving with amazing speed despite the several hundred pounds of power armour he wore. The mutant keeled over, its skull caved in by Hale's Super Sledge. Hale stepped back, admiring his handiwork.

"It never ceases to amaze me how _ugly _these things are," he murmured.

"You got that right."

Hale turned around, glaring at Initiate Swagger through his visor.

"Excuse me?"

Swagger looked down sheepishly.

"You got that right, _sir."_

Hale smiled, glad that his helmet hid his expression from his young charge. It didn't do well for Initiates to think that Paladin's were capable of emotions other than anger. A loud thud echoed out from the corridor behind him. Hale span around, his grip on the Super Sledge tightening.

"Initiate Swagger!" he barked.

"Yes sir!"

"Paladin Thornwell should be here shortly. You stay here. I've got some mutated green asses to kick."

Swagger watched his superior march down the corridor, a strange feeling welling up in his stomach. Something bad was going to happen. He knew it. The Initiate shook his head, trying to clear his mind and began to pace back and forth.

"Get a grip, Initiate. You'll never be a Knight if you get the jitters every time you go on a mission," he whispered to himself.

Swagger jumped at the sound of a loud bang coming from the corridor Hale had just went down. He took a deep breath, gulping in a mouthful of filtered, metallic air. His mouth curled into a grimace.

_Maybe some fresh air will calm my nerves._

His helmet was off in an instant, and he let out a sigh of relief as the cold night air soothed his burning skin. A thought crossed his mind. Paladin Hale had told him to never take off his helmet, no matter what. Swagger shrugged and closed his eyes, happy to be helmet free, for once. What Hale didn't know couldn't hurt him.

Swagger's eyes snapped open as he heard a rustling sound coming from behind him. He whipped around without thinking and his helmet slipped out of his hand, hitting the floor with a metallic clatter.

"REEEEEEAAAARGHHHH!"

A Super Mutant brute came charging out of the shadows, a two by four studded with nails clutched in its massive hands. Swagger stifled a yell and stumbled backwards as the plank of wood plunged towards his head. His training kicked in, overriding any panic that he felt. His rifle flew up and his finger jammed down on the trigger. The two by four exploded into splinters a split second before it could smash Swagger's skull into paste.

The brute paused mid lunge and looked down at the mess of wooden chips in his hands with a bewildered expression. Swagger bared his teeth in a savage grin. He stepped forward and brought up the rifle to aim squarely at the Super Mutant's forehead. He pulled the trigger again, ready to blow the ugly green bastard's head right off of his shoulders. The gun clicked empty.

Swagger's face fell. Not good. Not good at all.

The rifle was ripped from his hands and he suddenly found himself flat on his back with a pair of leathery green hands wrapped around his throat and slowly crushing his windpipe. The Initiate writhed in his assailants grasp, beating at the mutant's chest. Despite his power armour enhanced strength, the Mutant refused to let go, clearly determined to choke the life out of Swagger.

The Initiate clawed at the monster's arms, his arms feeling as if they were made of concrete. He gasped for breath as his eyes fluttered. A thought flitted through his oxygen starved brain. This was it. In a few seconds, he was going to die.

There were worse ways to go, he supposed. He'd always hoped to die in the field of battle. Like a real hero. His eyelids slid shut and the world turned black.

Suddenly, the pressure around his throat disappeared.

Swagger's eyes flew open and he immediately sucked in mouthful after mouthful of sweet, toxin laced air. Pollution never tasted so good.

As his vision cleared, he saw a man peering down at him from underneath the brim of a hat. The man's expression was friendly, if slightly confused.

"Need any help there?"

Swagger scrambled to his feet, quickly regaining his composure. He glanced over at the Super Mutant which lay in a heap at the man's feet, a smoking hole in it's forehead. Swagger growled as his face lit up. The fact that his life had just been saved had been saved by a civilian was embarrassing to no end. If Paladin Hale heard about this...

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?" growled Swagger, doing his best to sound as intimidating as possible.

"No need for the gun, friend. I'm on my way to the GNR Radio station to see Three Dog."

Swagger raised an eyebrow, still a little groggy.

"GNR? That's where I'm stationed."

The man smiled warmly.

"Oh, good. Can you take me there?"

Swagger eyed the stranger wearily.

"I'm not sure if I-"

Without warning, a sword appeared in the man's hands, crackling with blue light. Swagger opened his mouth to yell, but it was too late.

The blade tore straight through the bones of his skull and exited out the back of his head. Thousands of volts of electricity coursed through the already dead Initiate's body, causing it to jerk and twitch spasmodically as it crumpled to the ground.

Richard Blaine wrenched Sam out of the poor kid's skull and wiped the blade on his trenchcoat before returning it to its sheath. The death of someone so young was regretable but Blaine couldn't risk being recognised by the Brotherhood.

The mercenary knelt down and began to remove the Initiate's power armour piece by piece. He had been tailing the pair for the better part of an hour, waiting for an opening to take one of them down. He had been beginning to wonder if it was a lost cause, but luckily the Initiate had let his guard down.

Blaine's hands worked with practiced ease, and soon the armour lay in a pile beside the body. Blaine then set to work on putting the armour on over his trench coat. It was a matter of minutes before he stood tall, decked out in gleaming metal from the neck down. Sam lay on the floor at his feet, no room for the sheathed blade in the interior of the suit. He took off his hat and scooped up the Initiate's helmet.

A shiver raced down Blaine's spine as the helmet slid over his head. He hadn't worn power armour in over eight years.

His eyes widened and he shook the thought from his head as he heard the sound of footsteps. The kid's corpse still lay on the floor for all to see. Thinking quickly, Blaine's eyes darted to the open window on the far wall. He knelt down, grabbed the corpse by the arm and with his newly enhanced strength thanks to the power armour, lifted the Initiate's lifeless body over his head with one hand.

It was a bizarrely comical sight, the limp body, soaring out the window and into the night sky like some kind of gigantic mishappen bird.

Blaine couldn't help but chuckle at the faint thud that followed. He stooped over to pick up Sam, but almost collapsed face first when a sudden sharp pain surged through his cranium. The mercenary sank to one knee, his eyes screwed shut and his breath coming in ragged gasps.

_"You fucking traitor!" he roared over the cacophony of explosions and gunfire that filled the air._

_"Look, I don't like this any more than you do. This is strictly business."_

_"That's bullshit and you know it!"_

_Renault chuckled and wagged his gloved finger mockingly. _

_"Mind your manners now. You're just lucky that I'm a kind, merciful man. Now, stand still. I'll _try_ to make this as painless as possible."_

_"Mark my words, I'm going to kill you if it's the last thing I do!" _

_He raised his rifle, but Renault was too fast. Before he could even pull the trigger-_

"You alright there, Initiate?"

Blaine snapped back to reality and he looked up to see a man in power armour towering over him. Paladin Hale was his name if Blaine remembered correctly.

Blaine straightened up, hiding his hat and sword behind his back as he nodded curtly at the Paladin. Paladin Hale cocked his head to the side, his helmet making it impossible for Blaine to read the man's expression.

"First field mission taking it's toll on you, huh?"

Blaine nodded again.

"Don't worry about it. Even I found it hard the first time around. You'll get the hang of this soon enough."

Again, Blaine responded with a nod. Hale continued to stare at him for a moment before turning away.

"We should be heading back to base soon anyway, just as soon as- ah! There he is!"

Another man clad in power armour stomped into view, no doubt the Paladin Thornwell that Hale had been talking about.

"Thornwell! Where the hell have you been?"

Paladin Thornwell saluted Hale and Blaine as he answered.

"Ran into some uglies on the way here. How's the reconnaissance going?"

"The usual. Nothing of interest to report. Let's get back to HQ."

Thornwell nodded and turned away, already walking briskly in the direction of their destination. Hale followed suit with Blaine trotting at his heels. Blaine smirked underneath his helmet. He had been a little skeptical about the plan that he had thrown together on the fly, but it seemed that it was working perfectly. Neither of the Paladins suspected a thing.

For once, luck was on his side.

As they walked, the two Paladins began to ramble on, exchanging good natured jibes and gossip. They paid no attention to Blaine, which suited him just fine. He tuned out their trivial chatter, as his mind wandered back to the vision which had torn through his consciousness when he had put on the Initiate's power armour. He had done his best to purge the memories of his past from his mind. A futile effort which had only served to plague him with nightmares of gunfire and slaughter. He knew better than most that there was no running from the past. As today had proved, it always caught up to him eventually.

He was snapped out of his reverie when a particular snippet of the Paladins' conversation caught his attention.

"Did you see that girl from Vault 101?" asked Hale.

"Nah, my unit arrived the day after she left."

"Shame. That kid really is something. Do you know, she took out a Behemoth pretty much single handedly?"

Blaine's eyes widened in surprise. Paladin Thornwell seemed just as incredulous as Blaine.

"Bullshit."

"I'm not joking. She took poor old Knight Helmsley's Fat Man- may he rest in peace- and blew the overgrown freak to kingdom come!"

Blaine shook his head in disbelief. This job just kept getting more and more interesting.

"Wait, I'm getting a transmission. Reading you loud and clear, HQ."

Blaine's headset crackled to life as he tuned into the channel.

"We need all available squads at the GNR building, as soon as possible! By the looks of it every Super Mutant in Chevy Chase crawled out of their holes and came here. We need assistance, pronto!"

"Roger that. We're on our way."

Blaine cursed under his breath. This caused all sorts of problems. Paladin Hale let out a booming laugh and broke into a run, calling out to the two men in power armour left in his dust. The excitement was clear in his voice.

"What the hell are you waiting for? It's a fine day to die!"

Thornwell shook his head, looked at Blaine.

"What ever you do, don't turn out to be like him," sighed Thornwell before jogging after his comrade. Automatically, Blaine followed the Paladin, his mind working on overtime to determine a plan of action if things went awry. He very much doubted if he could take out an entire building full of Knights and Paladins and even if he did, he'd have to contend with the wrath of the entire Brotherhood. He gritted his teeth as the disembodied roars of the Super Mutants reached his ears, accompanied by the sharp retort of gunfire.

This wasn't going to end well.

The trio ran single file through the winding maze of dilapidated buildings, until a hulking mass of rotting green flesh blocked their path. Blaine took a double take as he realized that he was staring at the decomposing body of a Super Mutant Behemoth. Its gargantuan torso had been reduced to a charred hunk of meat, both arms blown off by some tremendous force. The face of the creature had been half melted off, but what remained glowered up at Blaine, teeth bared in a fierce snarl.

For a moment, Blaine just stood there, taken aback by the sheer size of the corpse. The kid from Vault 101 had somehow killed this monstrosity. Now _that_ was impressive.

"Finished sight seeing, Initiate?"

Paladin Thornwell's gruff voice wrenched Blaine out of his momentary lapse in concentration and he suddenly became aware of the sounds of battle roaring around him. He leaned his head out from behind the Behemoth's corpse to see a throng of ravenous Super Mutants locked in combat with the Brotherhood. Bullets and burning lead lanced through the air in every direction as both Mutants and Brotherhood soldiers unleashed hell at their opponents. It was hard to see which side had the advantage. The GNR Building towered over the scene, casting a foreboding shadow over the courtyard.

Blaine withdrew behind the Behemoth's corpse just in time as a bullet hurtled through the air which his head had previously occupied. Way too close for comfort.

"Okay, here's the plan," yelled Paladin Hale over the noise. "Thornwell, you're with me. Swagger, give us cover. Okay, go!"

Before Blaine could say anything, the two Paladin's charged out from behind the cover of the Behemoth and into the fray. Blaine sighed. Things weren't exactly going according to plan.

"FOUND YOU!"

He span around to see a trio of Super Mutants barrelling down the road towards him. One raised a hunting rifle and unloaded a shot at the mercenary. The bullet thudded into the rotted flesh of the gargantuan corpse behind him, missing its target completely. Blaine rolled his eyes and set his hat on the top of his helmet.

"When will you uglies learn to aim?"

Blaine flicked his wrist and the sheath covering Sam's blade tore through the air towards the trigger happy mutant. It let out a surprised yell as the rifle was knocked out of its hands. The monstrous trio's charge slowed as they looked to each other with confused expressions. Their expressions changed into ones of shock as Blaine appeared in front of them, his blade flashing.

The mutant who had fired at him tottered backwards, roaring in agony. Blood spurted from the stump where his arm had once been. It's comrade aimed its own rifle and aimed it at the mercenary's head. But Blaine was too fast. His free hand shot up and slapped the rifle so that instead of clanging off of his armour, the bullet punched a hole in the skull of the mutant whose arm he had just cut off. The third mutant charged at Blaine's exposed back but stopped in its tracks as a hat was hurled it into its face. The mutant bellowed and clawed at its eye, drowning out the crackle of electricity as Blaine held down the button on Sam's hilt.

The mutant with the rifle collapsed to the ground, writhing. A stab to the throat finished it off. Two down, one more to go.

Blaine turned to the only one left alive. The monster backed away from Blaine, still rubbing its eye. The expression on its face displayed not a single hint of fear. Blaine smirked. It was clear that this thing was not backing down, no matter what. He liked that. Blaine settled into a fighting stance, feeling slightly ridiculous in the bulky power armour.

The mutant pulled out a massive sledgehammer and charged forward, letting loose a primal yell. Blaine ducked down, letting the sledgehammer sail harmlessly over him. All the air escaped the mutant's body with a whoosh as Blaine's helmeted head collided with its stomach. The mutant looked down to find that a sword was embedded in its chest. It pitched over, twitching madly even after Blaine had pulled out the sword.

After a few seconds, the twitching ceased and Blaine stood over the corpse, allowing himself a moment to gloat over his fallen foe.

"Tell Satan that Richard Blaine sent you."

The mercenary's lips curled into a smile. That one wasn't half bad. Blaine made a note to write it down. Snappy one liners were a must have for men in his line of work.

"Swagger?"

Blaine whipped around, cursing himself for being so careless. He hadn't heard anyone approach over the sounds of gunfire. Judging from his voice, the man standing before him was Paladin Hale. The Paladin's power armour was a mess of dented and twisted metal and his helmet had been torn off. He stared at Blaine, suspicion written all over his lined face.

Blaine tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword. Obviously, the Paladin had heard his voice.

Hale looked first at Blaine and then at the bodies of the three Super Mutants lying at his feet. Blaine knew what he was thinking. No Initiate could have put away three Super Mutants alone. Blaine suppressed a sigh. His cover was definitely blown.

The Paladin raised his Super Sledge, no doubt intending to beat Blaine to a pulp until he got some answers. Instead, Hale sank to his knees, blood gushing from the gash in his throat. He slumped forward onto his face and lay still.

Behind his visor, Blaine's eyes suddenly burned with rage.

"Fucking _asshole. _Why did you have to make me kill you?"

A metal coated fist slammed into the back of Hale's skull, drawing a sickening crunch. Blaine brought his fist down another time and then another, revelling in the wondrous sound of metal against flesh. He didn't know how long his rage induced frenzy lasted but when he at last drew back, his gauntlets were drenched in a thick coating of gore.

"Fuck the Brotherhood. Fuck you," snarled the mercenary.

He took a deep breath and screwed his eyes shut, willing the blood to stop pounding in his ears. In the back of his mind, a small voice urged him that it wasn't over. It would never be over. He needed more. Kill, kill, _kill, KILL! _Blaine shook his head and rapped a knuckle against his helmet. The righteous anger coursing through Blaine's veins slowly faded away and was replaced by frustration. What the hell had just happened?

He needed to get out of this power armour and fast.

Blaine walked away from the Paladin's corpse and retrieved his hat and sheath from the ground. A thought crossed his mind. Was he crazy? Blaine knew that he was by no means the perfect picture of psychological health. He willingly acknowledged that at times he could be irrational, reckless and show utter disregard for his own physical well being. To call him completely sane was something of a stretch. But he didn't think of himself as _crazy. _Of course, all of his employers and many people he came across would class him as a nihilistic sociopath- which was fine by him. If employers thought he had more than a few screws loose, then they'd be less inclined to rip him off. No one wanted to mess with a lunatic toting a magnum.

Blaine frowned. Perhaps all the time he had spent acting like a lunatic had caused him to finally become one. A disturbing thought. But now was no the time to dwell on the state of his mental health.

He noted that the sounds of fighting had ceased, giving way to an eery quiet. The mercenary cocked his head to the side, listening intently. A hoarse shout broke through the silence.

"Fucking Super Mutants! No one screws with the Brotherhood of Steel!"

A chorus of triumphant yells followed. Blaine rolled his eyes. So the boy scouts had won. At least it made his job a little easier. He walked out from behind the Behemoth's corpse and allowed himself to melt into the cheering crowd of Brotherhood soldiers.

_---------------_

_"Greetings children! Three Dog here, bringin' you some news. It's time to separate the rumors from the facts about a certain lowlife that I've been hearing about. A merc who'll do anything for a quick buck. No, I'm not talking about the degenerates from Talon Company. This guy works alone. And from what I've heard, he's good. Damn good. This fucker's name is Richard Blaine. Approach with caution, kiddies. __Until next time, this is Three Dog! **AWHOOO!** And you're listening to Galaxy News Radio! We're Radio Free Wasteland, and we're here... for you! Bringing you the truth, no matter how bad it hurts. And now, some music."_

Three Dog shut off his mic and swivelled his chair as he heard the door swing open with a wince inducing creak. A man clad in blood splattered power armour marched through, a sword clutched in one hand and a hat in the other. Three Dog cocked his head to the side, regarding the soldier with a curious expression.

"Sounds like that was quite the scuffle out there?"

Blaine merely nodded, taking the time to look Three Dog up and down. It was a little strange seeing the man who many thought to be the voice of the Wastes. He was pretty much exactly as Blaine had imagined, if a little short. A black man of average build and a scruffy outfit of jeans and leather.

Three Dog shifted in his seat, slightly disturbed by Blaine's obvious scrutiny.

"So what brings you up here, friend?"

"The girl from Vault 101," said Blaine, getting straight to the point.

"What about her?"

"Just curious. What exactly is her story?"

Three Dog chuckled and rubbed his hands together. Blaine had wagered that the man loved the sound of his own voice and wouldn't be able to resist telling a story.

"I'm always happy to help out those with a curious mind. It's a sad tale. You remember the guy that came through here a while back, James? Yeah, that kid is his daughter. She came barging in here looking for the guy. From what I've heard, she tore through a swarm of Super Mutants to get here. That kid'll do anything to find her-"

"Where is she?"

The last thing Blaine needed to hear was the girl's sob story. Three Dog's mouth twisted into a frown.

"You sure are eager to find out."

"Like I said, I'm curious."

The hand clutching the sword twitched. He had no qualms against silencing the voice of the Wastes for good if necessary.

"I sent the kid over to the Museum of Technology to fetch a relay dish from the Virgo Lunar Lander. If all goes as planned, she can use it to fix the broken one at the Washington Monument."

"Thanks. That's all I needed to know."

Blaine turned away and started walking. He felt Three Dog watching him for a moment before turning back to his desk. Suddenly, he stopped and threw a glance over his shoulder. He wasn't about to walk away without leaving a lasting impression on the Voice of the Capitol Wasteland.

"Three Dog?"

The DJ turned to face him once again.

"You rang?"

"I've got another question."

"Fire away."

"Why do you do it?"

Three Dog raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"This. Running Galaxy News Radio. The Good Fight and all that crap."

"Crap? I can see this will take some explaining. Imagine a picture-"

Blaine held up his hand.

"With all due respect, save it. You do enough preaching on the radio."

"Well, son. What exactly is it that you want from me?"

"I'm just trying to figure you out. What exactly do you plan to accomplish with all this?"

"I'm just fighting the Good Fight and trying to make this fucked up world a better place."

"If you're actually telling the truth, then I feel sorry for you."

"What makes you think that?"

"Tell me, have you ever seen a mother put a gun to her son's head and pull the trigger? Have you ever seen a man throw his wife into the path of a bullet to save his own skin?"

"Nope. Can't say I have."

Three Dog's face failed to conceal his surprise at Blaine's questions. Behind his visor, Blaine's eyes lit up. This was fun. He'd never actually seen a mother shoot her son, or any of that crap. But it certainly sounded dramatic. He had Three Dog right where he wanted him.

"People are all the same. When it all comes down to it, all they care about is themselves. None of them give a fuck about you or the Brotherhood."

"Come on, you know that's bull-"

Blaine held his hand up to silence the disc jockey.

"Screw honour, screw decency, they do whatever they can to survive whether it be stealing caps or cutting open a man's stomach and feasting on his entrails. When the chips are down, survival is all that matters. You want to make this world a better place? There's no point. This is as good as it's going to get. It's survival of the fittest and I wouldn't have it any other way."

Three Dog stared at him, bewildered.

"You're one crazy son of a bitch, you know that?"

Blaine smirked and walked away without another word. Was he crazy? If being crazy meant having this much fun, then he didn't want to know what being sane was like.

"Hey, kid! What's your name?" yelled Three Dog.

The only answer he got was the sound of a door slamming shut.

**----**

**A/N: God damn, this was a hard chapter to write. First draft, not enough happened. Second time around, too much happened. I think I finally managed to find the right balance. Anyway, thanks for reviewing, folks. :)**

**Tune in next chapter for Blaine and the Vaultie! Face to face!**


	4. Die, Die My Darling

**Die, Die My Darling**

Seven days. One hundred and sixty eight hours. Approximately six hundred and four thousand eight hundred seconds. Lily mulled these numbers over in her head. When she thought of it that way, a week really was a long time. It seemed unbelievable that just seven days ago, she had been lying in her bed, not a care in the world. Sure, there had been that tragic case of unrequited love with Paul Hannon and Amata's Dad seemed to have some strange grudge against her, but that was nothing compared to what she had faced in the past seven days.

She had been shot at more times than she could count, attacked by wild animals and had to go one-on-one with a pissed off Behemoth. And now she was sitting on the cold concrete floor of an abandoned train station, doing her best to stay completely motionless as a Super Mutant stomped through the tunnel towards her.

It was a lot for a nineteen year old girl to handle.

Lily ran through a few quick calculations. By her estimate, four more steps and the ugly bastard would be within range of her hunting rifle. The mutant took another step forward, its beady eyes scanning the darkness for any signs of movement. It paused and sniffed at the air with its pug like stump of a nose. The creature began muttering to its self, eyes darting wildly back and forth.

"You're here, you're here...I know you're here," it growled. "STOP HIDING!"

Lily couldn't help but flinch as the monster's roar echoed through the tunnel. It took another step towards her direction, then another, as if guided by some sixth sense. Lily's already vice like grip around her rifle tightened. One more step.

The mutant stopped in its tracks once again. For what seemed like an eternity, it just stood there. Lily held her breath as its gaze passed over her. Then finally, it grunted and turned away.

"Ears playing tricks on me again."

Lily waited until the mutant was just a green sillhouette in the distance before she let out a sigh of relief. She let her back rest against the wall as her heart continued to slam against her rib cage. She made a mental note that if she survived the next twenty four hours, Three Dog was going to get a thorough ass kicking.

Who the hell did he think he was? Sending her on this wild goose chase when he had a veritable army of armoured up soldiers at his disposal.

Jack ass.

Lily sighed again and took a deep breath, forcing the anger out of her body. Angry as she was, she knew that Three Dog's ass would have to remain relatively foot free if she wanted to find her father. What she needed to do was to remain calm and in control. Anger was a useless emotion in the situation she was in. She placed her rifle on the floor beside her and let her eyes slide shut. She just needed a minute or two to compose herself. After all, it was going to be a long day.

"Not a good place to nap, missie."

Lily's eyes flew open and she just barely managed to stop herself from screaming. A tall, wiry man with a ridiculous spiked hair-do towered over her. A .32 pistol was clutched in the man's left hand, hanging loosely at his side. Definitely a Raider. Lily cursed herself for letting her guard down. How could she be so stupid? She hadn't even heard him approach. She glanced quickly at the doorway a few feet away where the Raider must have entered to check if he had any friends. There was no way she was letting some Raider get the best of her.

Her mind raced, analysing every possible outcome of the situation. Most seemed to end with her dying. She noticed three things. One, the Raider seemed to be alone, or at least his comrades were elsewhere in the station. Two, his body language and facial expression oozed confidence to the point where he hadn't even bothered to point his gun at her. And three, he hadn't tried to kill her yet. So that meant he wanted something.

The Raider stared down at Lily and grinned, showing off his yellowed teeth.

"Don't you be tryin' anythin' now. See Mr Blasty over here?" said the Raider, waving his gun. "I can put a bullet in yer head any time I want."

Lily kept her face blank, stifling the fear she felt. Like anger, fear was a useless emotion.

"Look, I'm sure we can work something out. I can give you whatever you want." Lily kept her voice as calm and even as possible. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted her rifle on the ground.

The Raider's grin widened and Lily shuddered when she saw the look in his eyes. A predator bearing down on his prey.

"That's what I'm countin' on, babe."

He started to move forward but suddenly, Lily's foot shot out, catching him directly in the groin. The Raider lurched backwards, his eyes bugging out.

"You...little...bitch!" he spluttered.

He made to raise his pistol but stopped when he saw a rifle pointed between his eyes. The girl glared at him, her eyes blazing.

"You should have killed me when you had the chance." she growled.

The Raider grimaced, still smarting from Lily's kick.

"Fine then. Shoot me."

Lily scowled and inched her rifle closer to his face. As much as she was tempted to, she refused to kill the man in cold blood. She had killed Raiders like him before in self defence, but this was different. This time, she was in control.

"You're not worth the bullet."

With those words, the confident smirk returned to the Raider's face.

"You can't do it, can you? You're not gonna kill me. You're nothin' but a little-" He was cut off mid sentence as Lily drove the butt of her rifle into his temple. The man collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

Lily stood over him as her hands started to shake around her rifle. The realization of how close she had been to death sank in. Luck. That was the only reason she had survived. The laws of chance and logic dictated that she should have died. In fact, according to chance and logic, she should have died on at least nine different occasions during the past week.

"Fuck," she whispered, talking to no one in particular. "_Fuck_...I should be dead. I should be dead."

Suddenly, her legs felt weak and sank to her knees as the weight of the past seven days began to crash down on her. She wasn't cut out for this stuff. It was a inevitable, sooner or later her luck would run out and she'd end up as little more than a pile of mangled meat in a Super Mutant's gore bag. Lily was a scientist, not a fighter or some fearless adventurer.

Lily slapped a palm against her forehead. Thoughts like that would get her no where. As her father had once told her, the greatest asset she had at her disposal was her brain. And it was her brain that would get her through this. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to her feet. Screw logic. Screw chance. No matter what, she would find her father. Even if it killed her.

------------------------------

"The usual I suppose, Mr Blaine?"

The mercenary shook his head and took the time to throw a playful wink at Lucky Harith's convoy guard. The woman rolled her eyes in disgust.

"Not today, my good man. This job's a little different from the others."

Harith raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued.

"Care to elaborate?"

Blaine's eyes glinted, piercing through the shadow cast over his face by the brim of his hat.

"Ever heard the old saying, curiosity killed the cat?" growled Blaine, his voice carrying a menacing edge. A sudden chill crept its way up Harith's spine.

His hand twitched, ready to dart towards his shotgun at any given moment. He was very aware that he was in the presence of a killer and a dangerously efficient one at that, from what Harith had heard. Nevertheless, he was a killer that payed extremely well and Harith had never been particularly picky when it came to customers. The Caravan Merchant had become something like the mercenary's personal arms supplier. So far, a mutually beneficial relationship. Still, Blaine never failed to unnerve Lucky every time they met.

Harith chuckled, any traces of agitation he felt hidden masterfully by his good natured smile.

"I've heard it once or twice. Your point being?"

There was silence for a moment as Blaine cocked his head to the side, studying Harith's smiling face intently. Finally, Blaine's expressionless masked cracked and gave way to a mischevious grin.

"Can't get anything past you, can I?"

Harith shook his head, still smiling like an idiot.

"I'm as sharp as ever, as you can see," said the merchant. Even by mercenary standards, Blaine was unpredictable and things could turn sour at the drop of a hat. Lucky made sure to keep his guard up.

"Back to business, I suppose," said Blaine with a sigh, clearly disappointed that the banter was over.

"This job's a little different from my usual, it's a snatch and grab."

"So that means you need to bring whoever it is in alive."

"Exactly."

Harith clasped his hands together and nodded.

"I've got just the thing."

He went over to his Brahmin and returned with what appeared to be a hunting rifle. He tossed the rifle to Blaine.

"Instead of regular rounds, this baby shoots a ballistic syringe loaded up with enough drugs to take down a Yao Guai. Should get the job done nicely."

Blaine examined the weapon and smiled.

"I must admit, Lucky. You always deliver the goods."

----------------------------------

The Museum of Technology. A testament to the intelligence and ingenuity of the human race. Lily looked up at the decrepit structure and a shiver of anticipation raced up her spine. The wealth of knowledge and information trapped within those walls...decades upon decades of history...it was mouth watering. Lily shook her head, snapping herself back to the task at hand. This wasn't some learning excursion. Her task was clear. Get in, grab the dish and get out. She was running behind the schedule already, it had taken far longer than expected. Navigation was not her strong suit.

Lily crouched down, thankful for the cover of night. The entire area, including the museum's interior was crawling with Super Mutants. What she needed was a plan. There was no way in hell that she was fighting through a horde of Super Mutants. She considered herself to be a pretty good shot with a rifle, thanks to her father, but her ammunition supply was running low already. Not to mention that she had no where near enough combat experience or training for a situation like this. Stealth was her best option. She mentally cursed Three Dog once again for good measure before making her move.

With her rifle clutched in her hands, Lily crept slowly towards the entrance, making sure not to make any sudden movements. She pressed her hands to the door and winced as it creaked open. She entered and instantly threw herself to the ground as she saw a Super Mutant just a few feet away with its back turned. A large plank of wood embedded with nails was slung over its shoulder. Simple, but brutally effective.

Thinking quickly, she crawled behind a piles of rubble. Like a gopher, she poked her head out and saw that the mutant's back was still turned before quickly darting back behind cover. A strange guttural sound was emanating from the creature and with a start, Lily realised it was humming. She knew that tune.

_I don't want to set the world on fire,  
I just want to start a flame in your heart_

It was a little rough around the edges, but clearly recognisable. This was a startling development. She wasn't aware that the creatures had retained enough mental capacity to replicate a tune. This also raised the question of whether the mutant was humming because it enjoyed it, or whether it was simply parroting the tune it had heard on the radio.

Lily stopped her inner scientist before she could think further on the subject. Time was of the essence. Keeping as low as possible, scrambled through the maze of debris which littered the floor. She kept her gaze fixed on the back of the brute, wary of any sudden movements. Her eyes were so completely focused on the mutant that she failed to see the bottle of Nuka Cola directly in the path of her hand.

Her wrist slapped the side of the bottle and it skittered across the floor with a tinkling sound. Her heart leapt into her mouth.

The mutant whipped around and spotted the girl immediately. Its eyes widened and it opened its mouth, unleashing a gutteral roar as it charged forward. Lily brought her rifle up and squirmed onto her back. There was no time for her to get up as the monster lunged forward, swinging for the fences with its nail board.

With a speed fueled by the adrenaline pumping through her veins, Lily took aim and fired. The nail board flew out of the mutant's hands and it staggered backwards, clutching at its bleeding fingers. The expression of surprise on its face quickly transformed into one of anger and it lunged just as Lily squeezed the trigger once more. The round pierced through the mutant's eye and exploded out the back of its head with a spray of blood. All that target practice with her BB gun had payed off. Lily's triumph was short lived however, as five hundred pounds of dead mutant came crashing down on her.

On pure reflex, her knees curled up to her chest and she rolled herself into a tight ball. Her legs and forearms absorbed the majority of the impact, but Lily couldn't hold down a yelp as she felt her muscles strain and her bones creak. She started to push upwards to lift the mutant's corpse off of her, but froze when she heard heavy footsteps.

"What goes on here?"

Lily bit her lip as the footsteps grew louder. If the new mutant saw her, she was a sitting duck trapped under its deceased counterpart.

"Idiot! Why you dead?" Lily winced at the sound of the mutant's harsh voice. It sounded as if it was screaming right in her ear.

"SOMEONE HERE! I KNOW IT!"

Lily heard the mutant lumbering away, the sound of its stomps growing gradually fainter. She layed there until she was sure that it was gone before letting out a sigh of relief and crawling out from under the corpse. She picked herself up and pressed onwards, rubbing at her aching limbs.

-----------------------------------

Blaine hated museums. Why the hell were people so fixated on the past? Maybe if they spent more time worrying about the present, things wouldn't be so fucked up. The Museum of Technology was a step up at least, from the Museum of History. From what Blaine had heard, a wealth of weapons and gadgets were hidden inside the otherwise useless building.

Blaine found nothing worth writing home about as he made his way throughte museum, but he did find a few traces of the Vault kid. A Super Mutant carcass layed in the middle of the atrium, still warm. It had been put down with a single clean shot to the eye. Blaine was close, he felt it. Hunter's instinct had never failed him before. Hopefully, Miss Vault 101 provided some good sport.

After a short trek, Blaine arrived at the entrance to the Virgo II Lunar Lander exhibit. To his surprise, he saw a pair of Super Mutant's loitering around the ancient space craft, filling the room with their inane chatter.

"I have a joke for you. Ready?"

"Yeah."

"Knock knock."

"Who there?"

"Human."

"Human who?"

"KILL HUMANS, KILL THEM ALL!"

Blaine rolled his eyes as the duo shook with laughter. He couldn't take another second of this. He could actually feel his brain cells dying a slow and painful death.

"Don't quit your day job, chuckles," Blaine sneered as he strode through the doorway.

The laughter immediately turned into the usual mutant routine of yells and arm flailing. Blaine would have found it amusing if those arms weren't clutching Chinese assault rifles. A volley of 5.56mm rounds chewed into the floor as Blaine tumbled into a swift barrel roll to avoid the fire. His magnum blazed to life and one of the brute's crumpled as a hailstorm of bullets collided with its chest and head. The magnum clicked empty and Blaine returned it to its holster, drawing his sword in the same movement. He lunged forward and the remaining mutant rushed out to meet his challenge.

Sam crackled with electricity, heading straight for the mutant's throat, but the blade rebounded off of the cold steel of the mutant's assault rifle. The mutant let out a triumphant roar as if it had already won the battle as it swung its rifle like a sword towards Blaine's head. That was new. Blaine ducked and threw his sword to the ground, already too close to the mutant for effective swordplay. Instead, he threw his entire body forward into the mutant's stomach. Not one of his best ideas.

He felt his shoulder collide with a solid wall of muscle and a pair of tree trunk like arms encircle his waist. All of the air in Blaine's body was suddenly no where to be found. Blaine squirmed in the mutant's grasp to no avail.

"Puny human! I crush-"

The mutant's head snapped back as Blaine's forehead collided with the bridge of its nose. Amazingly, its grip did not break. But it loosened and that was more than enough for Blaine. The mutant suddenly found its self on its back as Blaine used its own weight to send it tumbling head over heels. Before the mutant could blink, Blaine had it by the wrist and wrapped his legs around the massive arm. Blaine fell to his back and popped his hips forward. There was a sickening snap accompanied by the mutant's scream. Blaine let the limp appendage flop to the floor and sprang to his feet. He stood triumphantly over his fallen foe as it howled in agony. Easy as pie.

Blaine turned away from the writhing mutant, dusting off his trenchcoat. As he scooped up his sword, he heard a snarl from behind him. He smirked as Sam began to glow with blue light. Suddenly, there was the sharp crack of a gun shot and Blaine span around, Sam slicing through empty air instead of mutated flesh. Blaine looked first at the dead mutant at his feet, then at the girl standing in front of him with a smoking rifle in her hands. The mercenary's eyes were instantly drawn to the numbers "101" on her jumpsuit. Using his well honed skills of deduction, Blaine realized that this must be the Vault kid.

The girl took a tentative step forward, a half-smile on her face.

"Sorry. He was sneaking up on you and..." She trailed off as she noticed Blaine's stare.

So this was the Vault Dweller that he had heard so much about? She wasn't a bad looker, he'd give her that. Long auburn hair, a soft face, pretty green eyes. Eyes that were currently fixing him with a look full of suspicion. He'd hit it. Though Blaine acknowledged that if given the chance he would screw most of the Capitol Wasteland's female population without a seconds hesitation. But that was besides the point.

Blaine let a warm smile spread across his face as he spoke, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Hey there. The name's Blaine."

The girl looked relieved.

"Lily."

Blaine took a step forward, his eyes glinting.

"I'm sorry."

Lily backed away slowly, eyes darting back and forth. Looking for an exit. Poor girl. Blaine didn't even want to know what Burke was going to do to her.

"What do you mean, sorry?"

She raised her rifle as Blaine continued to advance.

"I just want you to know that this is nothing personal. It's strictly-"

There was a deafening bang and an intense heat ripped into Blaine's back. He felt himself flying through the air before hitting something hard. The last thing he remembered seeing was the snarling face of a Super Mutant glaring down at him.

Before darkness took him, Blaine just barely managed to gasp out a word.

"_Shit._"


	5. Let The Games Begin

**Let The Games Begin**

Life's a bitch. One minute everything's fine and dandy, and then the next you find yourself trapped in a room with a pair of Super Mutants.

Lily pressed her shoulder up against the cold metal exterior of the Virgo II Lunar Lander and adjusted the strap which held the communications dish to her back. Just as she had managed to rip the disk from the Lander, she had heard the mutants approaching. Her only option was to hide behind the space craft until they had left. Unfortunately, these particular specimens seemed to be annoyingly talkative.

"Hey, I find lump on neck. You think I get it checked?"

"Checked? What you mean?"

"Ugh, never mind. You too dumb to talk to anyway!"

"Dumb? Well, you too ugly to talk to!"

"That what she said!"

Lily sighed as the witty banter continued. These idiots were worse than Butch and his Tunnel Snake lackeys. She sat there for what felt like hours, doing her best to drown out their incessant prattle. Suddenly, a different voice shattered her trance like state.

"Don't quit your day job, chuckles."

She peeked out to see a man in a dark hat and trench coat enter the room. The Super Mutant's responded to the man's jibe with a chorus of roars and gunshots. Lily was just about to jump out and give the man some assistance when she saw that somehow, one of the mutant's was already on the floor, soaking in a pool of its own blood. She watched with wide eyes as the man and the remaining Super Mutant became entangled in close combat. A glowing sword slashed towards the Super Mutant's throat, but it was blocked by the mutant's rifle. The mutant then managed to trap the man in a bear hug, but somehow the mutant ended up on his back with the man's arms wrapped around his legs. She winced at sound of the mutant's arm snapping.

The man stepped away from the howling mutant and turned to pick up his sword. He clearly didn't see the mutant lurching to its feet, despite its broken arm.

Lily decided at that moment to act. She wasn't going to just stand there and let someone get mauled by a Super Mutant. She lunged out from behind the Lander and fired a single shot into the back of the Super Mutant's head. The mutant toppled to the floor with an almighty crash. Lily resisted the urge to crow in triumph. A perfect shot. The man twisted around, sword flashing. His surprise was evident in his face. He looked first at the mutant, then at Lily, quickly putting two and two together. Lily made sure to lower her rifle slightly and let the corners of her mouth creep up into a small smile, a sign that she meant him no harm. She advanced towards the stranger cautiously, making sure to keep a safe distance and stay out of the range of his sword, just in case he turned out to be hostile. Obviously, he wasn't a Raider, but Raider's weren't the only hostile individuals in the Capitol Wasteland.

"Sorry. He was sneaking up on you and..." She faltered when she caught the man staring at her. Those eyes...They bored into her with an ice-like glare, analyzing every aspect of her person. Sizing her up. She was reminded distinctly of the eyes of the Raider in the subway. But while the Raider possessed the hungry gaze of a wolf, this man had the cold, dead eyes of a shark. It made her skin crawl.

The man continued to stare, oblivious of Lily's obvious discomfort. Lily fingered her rifle's trigger uneasily. She wondered if he was dangerous. Well, obviously he was dangerous judging from the way he had disposed of the Super Mutants. But did he mean her harm? She reasoned that if he did mean her any harm, he would have already made his move by now instead of just gaping at her like an idiot. Lily hoped to God that she was right.

Finally, the man broke the silence and to Lily's surpise, smiled.

"Hey there."

Lily let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"The name's Blaine."

Lily did the man the courtesy of returning his smile. Manners were always a useful tool, even in the Wasteland.

"Lily."

The man- Blaine took a step towards Lily. She immediately drew back, thrown off guard by his sudden movement.

"I'm sorry."

Lily's eyes narrowed. What the hell was he talking about? Something was funny about Blaine's smile. She glanced at the door way on the other side of the room. Too far away. If he tried something, her only option was to shoot him.

"What do you mean, sorry?" she said cautiously.

Blaine took another step forward. Lily brought her rifle up and gritted her teeth. Okay, this guy was really starting to creep her out.

"I just want you to know that this is nothing personal."

Lily was about to reply when she saw a hulking green sillhouette appeared in the doorway. A gleaming metal cylinder rested on its muscled shoulder. Oh shit. Instinct took over and her legs propelled her through the air as a missile exploded out of the end of the cylinder.

"It's strictly-" Whatever Blaine was going to say was drowned out by a deafening thunderclap of noise as the missile collided with the ground a few feet behind him.

The shockwave of the explosion caught Lily and hurled her against the wall. A split second later, Blaine slammed into the wall as well, face first. They both crumpled to the ground. Lily was in too much pain to even moan. For a moment, she just layed there, curled into a tight ball.

"Humans dead! HAHAHA! Humans DEAD!"

She opened her mouth to suck in a gulp of air. Her lungs felt like they were about to explode. But it was not the time to lie down and lick her wounds. She staggered to her feet, ignoring the agony ripping through her side. She deduced that at least one of her ribs had been cracked upon impact with the wall. The mutant was standing over Blaine, cackling madly. Lily noted that it was significantly taller than most of its counter parts. It took a step back as she got up, obviously shocked that she was still alive.

"Stupid human! DIE ALREADY!"

It raised its missile launcher but roared in frustration when it found that he had to reload. Lily snarled and pointed her rifle at the monster.

"Right back at you, big guy."

BOOM!

It reeled backwards, still trying frantically to reload its weapon despite the burning hot lead embedded in its chest.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The mutant staggered backwards further and further with each shot until it had been forced back through the doorway. Lily was amazed that it was still standing. She growled in frustration.

"Why won't you die?"

She pulled the trigger again, but the gun just gave an empty click. The mutant caught Lily's panicked expression and cackled. Finally, it managed to reload the launcher with a fresh missile.

"SAY GOODBYE!"

Synapses fired off in Lily's brain at alarming speed as the colossal weapon rose. She had less than a second to come up with a way to stay alive. There was no way that the Super Mutant could miss at this range, the explosion would catch Lily full force even if she dodged the initial projectile. If the missile were to explode before, or immediately after it had left the launcher, Lily calculated that the distance was enough that she would avoid the worst of the explosion. Not only that, it would eliminate the mutant as well. She was out of ammo, so shooting the missile launcher, or the mutant its self was out of the question.

Time seemed to slow as the mutant squeezed the trigger. She had one shot at this. Lily drew back her arm and hurled her rifle with all her strength. The firearm hurtled throught he air just as the missile burst out of the launcher. The two projectiles collided in mid air, enveloping the mutant in a ball of flame. Lily was thrown off of her feet once again and landed hard on her back.

She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the incredible pain the she knew was coming. Surely her idea hadn't worked? It was damn near impossible. The mutant was sure to get up, dust its self off and crush her skull like a watermelon. Miraculously, when she opened her eyes, her head was still perfectly in tact. She sat up and saw that the mutant had been reduced to a smouldering pile of meat.

"No. Fucking. Way."

Her jaw dropped. It had worked. It had actually worked! She couldn't help but let out an exhilarated laugh. She was alive!

She got up gingerly, wincing as her side flared with pain again. There was no way she was trudging all the way to the Washington Monument like this. She pulled her last Stimpak out of her belt and jabbed it into her side. The pain lessened slightly and her lungs loosened, allowing her to breath more easily. That would do until she could get further medical assistance.

Lily groaned when she saw one of the charred fragments of her hunting rifle at her feet. How the hell was she going to survive without a weapon? An idea crossed her mind. She turned to see Blaine's body, still smoking from the explosion.

She crouched down beside the man and patted down his jacket, searching for any weapons she could use. She found a .44 Magnum and what appeared to be a custom made hunting rifle that used some kind of dart instead of regular rounds. Very strange. As she rummaged through his back pocket, she caught a glint of steel from the corner of her eye. Lily picked up the man's sword, eyes wide with awe.

She'd heard of weapons like this during her studies. An authentic Chinese Shock Sword. Her fingers roamed over the hilt until she found the small button right under the blade's guard. There was a soft whine and the blade became wreathed with a blue glow. Lily whistled. Neat. This one was a keeper. She gently lifted the sheath from the man's shoulders and slid hte blade in place. This more than made up for the loss of her hunting rifle.

Lily straightened up and was about to walk away when a soft groan stopped her in her tracks. She looked down and was shocked to see Blaine begin to stir feebly before becoming still once more. How the hell had he survived? Upon closer inspection, she saw the reason through a hole burned into his coat. Combat armour. Clever bastard.

Lily hovered over the man, unsure of what to do. It didn't feel right just leaving him. And she was positive that without medical attention, he would die of his injuries if a Super Mutant didn't get to him first. She had left the Raider unconscious in the subway, but this was different. The Raider had directly provoked her and this man had yet to do as such. Though judging by the look on his face as he had approached Lily, he had been about to. But was pure implication enough to condemn a man to death? She was no judge and had no right to decide whether Blaine would live or die.

But what the hell could she do? It was crazy to think that she would risk her life for a complete stranger and a clearly dangerous one at that. But still, she just couldn't shake off the guilt she was feeling. Had the Waste Land tainted Lily so much that she would steal a man's possessions and leave him for dead? That made her no better than a Raider. Perhaps if she saved him, then his sword and guns could be considered payment.

Lily groaned. She was going around in circles here. She had to make a decision. Lily took out a bottle cap. Chance had decided her fate on so many occasions and now it was this man's turn.

She flipped the cap.

* * *

_Richard jammed his finger down on the trigger of his assault rifle and ducked down when it clicked empty. Chips of stone sprayed through the air above his head as the Raiders' return fire ripped into the boulder he was using as cover. Richard loaded a fresh magazine. He didn't have time for this. He waited until the sounds of gunfire had ceased before popping up again, a frag grenade clutched in his hand._

_He ripped out the pin and hurled it towards the Raider's. They watched the frag sailing through the air with wide eyes. Richard smirked as it landed right at their feet. Three birds with one stone. There was a deafening boom and Richard was forced to duck again as a Raider body part- he couldn't tell which- sailed over his head. Richard climbed on top of the boulder, revelling in his victory. Unfortunately, his celebration was cut short as the smoke cleared, revealing a Raider hefting a mini gun._

_"Die, scumbag!"_

_He was forced to dive back behind the boulder, just barely managing to avoid being turned into swiss cheese. The Raider took a different approach to his friends and charged forward, minigun blazing. Richard cursed and scrambled to his feet just as the Raider appeared on top of the boulder. He raised his rifle, but to his surprise, the Raider wasn't firing any more on account of the glowing blade jutting out of his chest. _

_The Raider slumped to the floor as an armoured figure ripped the sword from the corpse's back. The figure ripped off its helmet and glared at Richard with piercing blue eyes. _

_"Can't I go at least one day without saving your ass, Ricky?"_

Blaine was suddenly ripped from this world and into one of darkness. He felt strangely relieved. Dreams bothered him. Having no control over his actions was a very unnerving thing. He forced his heavy eyelids to pry themselves open and sucked in a lungful of air, noting the pain which permeated every inch of his body. As his eyes adjusted to the bright light, he found that he was in what appeared to be an infirmary of some sort. He tried to sit up but found that he was held to the bed by a strap around his waist. Blaine raised an eyebrow. What the hell had happened? The last thing he remembered was finding the Vault girl and then...an explosion of some sort.

He assumed that he wasn't dead. If it was, this wasn't exactly what he thought the after life would be like. He expected a lot more fire and brimstone. Plus, if he was dead he wouldn't be dressed in this ridiculous white...table cloth-like get up.

"You're awake."

Blaine's eyes snapped to the source of the voice. He tried not to let his panic show. A man in power armour loomed over him, staring down at Blaine through his visor.

"You took quite a beating out their, stranger."

Stranger? Blaine thought he had been recognized for sure. He turned to look at the mirror on his bed side table. Ah. That explained it. His face was an unrecognizable mass of bruises and cuts. That also explained the pain.

"You would have been dead for sure if it weren't for the girl from Vault 101."

Blaine looked at him, confused. He didn't trust himself to speak in case the man recognized his voice.

"Speaking of her, she wants a word with you. I'll leave you two alone."

The man stepped aside and the slender figure of a young woman stepped out from behind the hulking mass of metal. The man lumbered out of the room as the Vault kid approached Blaine's bed.

A smirk crept across his face. He sat up, adjusting the strap so that he could sit comfortably.

"Fancy seeing you here," he sneered.

The Vault girl stared at him, clearly not as amused as he was. She was dressed in that same ratty old vault suit though Blaine noticed the bruises which marred her pretty face.

"You're lucky to be alive."

Blaine cocked his head to the side.

"Being strapped to a hospital bed with a killer headache isn't my idea of lucky, babe."

"It could be worse. You could be lying on the museum floor with a Super Mutant carving up your legs."

The mercenary chuckled.

"Touche."

He detected a touch of annoyance in the girl's face.

"You seem awfully calm. You could have died."

"We all gotta go sometime. Why make a big deal out of it?" said Blaine with a shrug.

The girl sighed, clearly exasperated for some reason or another.

"Well, can I at least get a thank you for saving your life?"

That caught his attention.

"What exactly happened back there?"

"Oh no, if you want answers, you've got to give me some first."

Blaine rolled his eyes. She was one of _those_ women.

"Fine. Fire away."

"Who are you?"

"I already told you. My name's Blaine."

"Then what the hell were you talking about at the museum?"

Blaine stared at her innocently.

"What ever do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. You were telling me you were sorry and that it was nothing personal."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, darling. From the looks of it, you must have hit your pretty little head on a rock or something. You should be more careful."

Blaine held back a laugh as the girl ground her teeth, clearly trying to keep herself in check.

"My head is perfectly fine, thank you very much."

"Then explain the bruises?"

"I got them while saving your life, ass hole."

Blaine gasped in mock horror.

"Young lady! Where did you learn such language!"

To her credit, she managed to restrain herself from leaping on top of Blaine and throttling him with her bare hands. Barely.

"Has anyone told you that you're incredibly annoying?"

"Once or twice. Has anyone told you that you should smile more often?"

The girl glowered at Blaine, her eyes smouldering. Blaine did laugh this time. Messing with this kid was more fun than he had expected.

"Now, care to tell me what happened?" he said once his laughter had subsided.

"What happened was me saving your life."

"I think you've already mentioned that part."

"Would you just shut up and listen?"

"Anything you say, buttercup."

Blaine clamped his mouth shut and gave the girl a wink, which she chose to ignore.

"A Super Mutant snuck in through the door way and took you out with a missile launcher. I managed to kill it and then dragged your fat ass here. It's a miracle that I managed to sneak us both past that horde of Super Mutants unnoticed."

"Fat ass? I'll have you know that I've lost at least 5 pounds in the past week. You don't hear me making any comments about _your_ figure."

The Vault kid opened and closed her mouth, trying to find the right words to express her anger.

"I've got a lot of regrets in my life. And saving you is at the top of the list!"

Blaine continued to grin at her, which only served to fuel the fires of her rage. He was surprised though. If what the girl was saying was true, he really did owe her his life. Why she had bothered? They had only just met and Blaine had been about to shoot her in the neck with a tranquilizer dart. It was baffling. He just couldn't understand her motivation.

He opened his mouth to voice his thoughts, but stopped when he saw a familiar hilt poking out from behind the girl's shoulder. The grin disappeared from his face.

"Hey kid, quick heads up. That's my sword."

This time, it was the Vault kid's turn to smile.

"That's right. I thought I deserved a little something for risking my life."

"I'd really appreciate it if you gave that back."

She propped her hands up on the foot of the bed and leaned forward until they were almost nose to nose. Blaine refused to draw back. This was a battle of wills.

"Why should I?" she hissed.

Blaine considered reaching up and snapping her neck. Instead, he decided on taking the more diplomatic path.

"Listen, babe..."

"Lily."

"Whatever. I understand we got off on the wrong foot. But in all seriousness, I need that sword back."

"In all seriousness...no."

Blaine was starting to get just a little annoyed. He had asked nicely. That was not something that happened very often. Lily's green eyes glinted mischeviously as she moved back just out of his reach. The neck breaking option was now officially closed off.

"Well, maybe if you said please."

"You've got to be kidding me," he groaned.

"You want your sword back or not?"

That tore it. Blaine wasn't just going to capture her, he was going to kill her. Screw Burke. He didn't need the caps any way. No one messed around with his sword.

"Go to hell." growled the mercenary.

Lily flicked an auburn strand from her face and laughed, clearly having fun now that the tables had turned.

"Fine, I guess it stays with me."

Her smile faltered slightly when she saw the smirk return to Blaine's face.

"I'll be seeing you around, kid."

The girl's eyes flashed as she met Blaine's gaze. The challenge had been accepted.

"Looking forward to it."

With that, she turned and walked away. Blaine's hands curled into fists as he watched her leave. He was going to enjoy killing her.


	6. Curiosity Killed The Cat

Mercenary 101. You want contracts? Then the first thing you need is a good look. Employers are more likely to hire someone who looks the part. It's common sense. With his trench coat in tatters, Blaine was just another loser in combat armour. Luckily, his hat was still in next to perfect condition. But still, without his trench coat, Blaine's mystique had dropped significantly. So the first order of business was finding some new threads.

With this in mind, Blaine had made his way to Rivet City. It was a weird place, even by Capitol Wasteland standard. Who the hell had thought of building a city inside a boat? It wasn't such a bad idea as it turned out. Rivet City was probably the safest place in the Capitol Wasteland. No Super Mutant or Raider had a chance of getting inside. Which is why Blaine had to make sure to keep on his toes.

Blaine strolled through the Rivet City market place, keeping his head down as he passed through the throng of people buzzing around the market unnoticed. The mercenary brushed off his new coat, feeling just a tad uncomfortable. It was far too neat looking for Blaine's tastes.

Shopping wasn't the only reason he had come to Rivet City. The largest human settlement in the Wasteland was bound to be overflowing with juicy little tid bits of information. if there was one thing the average Wastelander loved, it was gossip. Chances were, he'd find a clue on that Vault bitch's whereabouts.

Blaine turned a heavy pistol over in his hand, eyeing the scope apprehensively.

"Hey, buddy. Got any .44 Magnums without the scope?"

A scruffy middle aged gentleman answered Blaine's call and walked over.

"Nope. Haven't seen one of those in years."

Blaine sighed. He supposed it would have to do. He handed over the necessary caps, scanning the market place for any familiar faces as he did.

"Is this your first time in Rivet City?"

"Yeah. It's a nice place," said Blaine, turning his attention back to the shop keeper. Just like in Megaton, if he wanted to gather information, he had to play the part of a wide eyed newcomer. He smiled and winced slightly as the expression brought about a twinge of pain. His face had mostly healed, but was still rather tender. An explosion to the face does that to you.

The man laughed. "This old rust bucket? Well, at least it ain't crawlin' with Super Mutants."

"Thank God for that. I ran into a bunch on the way here and..." Blaine trailed off as he spotted a woman sporting golden brown tresses examining one of the shelves.

Ignoring the shopkeeper's puzzled expression, Blaine pushed past him and moved towards the woman. There was no way it was her. He couldn't be _that _lucky. The woman turned slightly as she held a rifle up to the light, revealing her face. Blaine suppressed a groan. False alarm. He had gotten his hopes up for nothing.

Suddenly, something hard was pressed up against his back. Blaine froze and automatically held his hands up.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Halle-freaking-lujah. Blaine recognized that wannabe tough girl voice anywhere. He couldn't believe it. He really _was _that lucky. Obviously, God or whatever higher power there was really wanted this chick dead. Or maybe he was getting so damn good at this, the targets were coming to him instead. He wracked his brain, trying to recall what her name was. Milly? No, that wasn't it.

"What, a guy can't shop without being harrassed by some delinquent Vault kid?" he said, still facing forward. No one seemed to notice that someone had a gun to his back. So much for the safest place in the Wasteland. Lizzy? He was getting warmer.

"How did you find me?"

"Don't flatter yourself, sugar. You found me," snorted Blaine.

"Likely story."

"What can I say, I'm a babe magnet."

Blaine chuckled at the girl's attempt at a fierce growl. She was about as intimidating as a legless Radroach. Nevertheless, Blaine was very aware of the fact that she could put a bullet in his spine. He doubted that she'd have the balls for it, but it was still a possibility.

Without warning, there was a loud clatter as the woman with golden brown hair dropped the rifle on the floor. Blaine felt the gun at his back twitch at the noise. Rookie mistake. He twisted around, one hand lashing out to grasp the girl's wrist while the other aimed his newly purchased Magnum at her forehead. The girl jerked backwards, reflexively squeezing the trigger. The bullet flew harmlessly into the ceiling. Instantly, every person in the vicinity whipped out a firearm and pointed it at the pair.

Blaine watched the bristling wall of weaponry that had formed around them warily, still keeping his eyes focused primarily on the Vault girl. The girl glared daggers at him, ignoring the gun at her forehead as she tried to break free. Blaine smirked and held on for dear life. He remembered her name now, at least. Lily. Pretty name. His eyes flashed when he saw his sword still strapped to her back. A pretty name didn't change the fact that she was a total bitch. The only reason Blaine hadn't already splattered her skull all over the shelves was that he didn't want to fight his way through a horde of guards.

"Why do you have to make things so difficult?" he hissed.

"What's the problem here?"

Blaine breathed a sigh of relief as Lily immediately stopped struggling. One of the guards pushed through the crowd, his rifle at the ready. Blaine cursed under his breath. The last thing he wanted to do was get their attention. He lowered his gun and cautiously released Lily's arm. The girl stepped away and glowered at him as she rubbed her wrist.

The guard looked first at Blaine then at Lily, his expression stern.

"I'm going to ask you one more time. What's the problem here?" he said over the murmers of the crowd.

Blaine glanced at Lily, who was staring at the ground, hands behind her back like a school child who had been caught running in the hallway. He gauged from the expression on her face that the girl clearly didn't want to run afoul of the law. At the moment, neither did he.

Blaine turned and looked the guard in the eye, doing his best innocent bystander face.

"Nothing at all, officer. Just messing around with an old friend."

The guard narrowed his eyes as he scrutinized Blaine's face. Luckily, he didn't catch Lily's surprsied expression.

"Is this true, Miss?"

Blaine shot Lily a look, urging her to play along. The girl hesitated, doing her best to avoid the guard's eyes.

"Yes, sir. No problem," she said stiffly.

The guard sniffed and patted his rifle. Blaine stopped his eyes mid-roll. He wagered that guy probably haven't even seen any real combat in his life.

"I've got my eye on you two."

With that, he marched away. The crowd followed suit, muttering their disappointment. Blaine just managed to catch a glimpse of Lily's relieved smile before it reverted back to her usual angry glare as she turned to face him once again. The mercenary holstered his gun and let his face relax.

"Now that that's over and done with, let's get a bite to eat."

Lily raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?" she said, her surprise evident in her voice.

"Come on, my treat. They make a mean mirelurk cake here."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"No, really. I've tried it, it's pretty good. I mean, mirelurk can only go so far. But when you're living in a post apocalyptic wasteland, you've got to take what you get."

Lily shook her head, amazed.

"Have I told you you're insane?"

"Is that a yes?"

The girl sighed and waved her hands.

"Fine. Lead the way."

* * *

"Trust me, it tastes better than it looks."

Lily prodded at the cake and wrinkled her nose. Blaine didn't really blame her. The stuff did bear a striking resemblance to road kill.

"It smells like..."

"Mirelurk? That's why it's called Mirelurk Cake, honey," mumbled Blaine through a mouthful of Mirelurk meat.

"What's your problem?"

Blaine looked up to find her staring angrily at him. Again.

"Problem?"

"I saved your life. You should be at least-"

"God, shut up about that already," groaned Blaine, cutting her off. "You've milked that Brahmin dry already."

Lily rolled her eyes and began stabbing rather viciously at her cake. Blaine winced. He guessed that she was probably imaging that it was him she was stabbing. Once she was finished massacring the cake, she raised her fork to her mouth and took a tentative bite.

"Not bad."

Blaine grinned as he swallowed the last of his meal.

"Told you so."

The girl began wolfing down the cake with alarming speed. She clearly hadn't eaten in a while. That explained why she had accepted his offer. Blaine watched her in silence as she ate, his head cocked to the side.

"Why did you do it?"

Lily looked up, her mouth stuffed full of Mirelurk meat.

"Mmm?"

"Save me, I mean."

Thankfully, she swallowed before speaking.

"Why do you ask?"

"I'm just trying to figure you out. You had nothing to gain. If you wanted my weapons you could have very easily just taken them and left me to die."

She put her fork down, her expression thoughtful. It was a welcome change to her usual expression, thought Blaine.

"I don't know why, really. It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time."

"The right thing to do?" scoffed the mercenary.

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"Yes. Yes it is. You must have had some reason. No one is that much of a goody two shoes. In this world, help is never free."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, the decision to save you wasn't entirely up to me. I flipped a cap."

Blaine settled back into his chair, studying Lily's face intently as if she were some kind of puzzle. The girl shifted uneasily under his gaze.

"You're insane, you know that," murmured Blaine.

"Pot, meet the kettle."

Blaine threw back his head and laughed. Her joke hadn't been exceptionally funny, but he thought that he'd at least humour her. The girl watched him, shaking her head. He didn't know if he imagined it or not, but Blaine could have sworn he saw a smile flit across her face. Before he could verify this, she had returned to her Mirelurk Cake with the same ferocity as before, leaving Blaine to stew. The mercenary drummed his fingers across his knee, his eyes misting over. Lily's motives were still a mystery to him. The girl had flipped a cap, leaving his fate to chance. But this only served to confuse Blaine even more. He needed to figure her out before he killed her or the puzzle would remain unsolved.

The last of the Mirelurk Cake disappeared into Lily's mouth and she sank into her chair with a satisfied sigh.

"Thanks for the meal."

Blaine didn't bother to reply, still deep in thought. He jumped in his seat when something heavy fell onto the table with a loud clang. His eyes widened as he found himself staring down at a familiar sword.

"Consider this a peace offering."

Blaine looked up at the girl, for once at a loss for words. Lily extended her hand and smiled.

"Friends?"

Recovering quickly, the mercenary's usual self assured smirk returned to his face at once.

"Acquaintances," he said as he took the hand and shoot it firmly. The girl's skin felt strange against his, bizarrely smooth and soft. A hand unused to the real world.

Lily shook her head and extricated her hand from his grip.

"Oh well, you can't say I didn't try. I'll be seeing you, Mister Blaine," said the girl, her voice cold once more.

She turned to walk away, but stopped when she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. Blaine got out of his seat and hoisted Sam onto his shoulder. Lily frowned and pushed his hand away.

"Yes?"

"Where are you headed?"

"Why should I tell you?"

Blaine straightened his trench coat and flashed her a toothy grin.

"The Wasteland is a dangerous place for a little girl. Looks like you might need some protection."

Blaine noted the subtle tightening of her jaw muscles. Apparently he had pressed yet another one of this girl's many buttons.

"I'll be fine, thank you very much," she hissed.

"Think of it as me repaying you for not leaving me to die," said Blaine, hoping that the Vault girl would fail to see through his faux sincerity. From what he gathered, the girl ate that kind of stuff up.

Lily looked like she was about to say something, but stopped and pursed her lips. Bingo.

She hesitated for a moment, then said, "You really mean that?"

"From the bottom of my cold, black heart."

Lily spun around and stalked away at a brisk pace, leaving Blaine in her dust. The mercenary threw his hands up in a mixture of amazement and frustration. The nerve of some people. It was time to go back to the drawing board. Suddenly, Lily paused and looked at Blaine over her shoulder. He couldn't read her expression.

"Well? You coming?"

She started walking again and Blaine jogged after her, unable to hide his confusion.

"Do I take that to mean 'Thank you, Mister Blaine. Please come along and save me from the big bad Super Mutants, Mister Blaine'?"

"Just don't get in my way," she snapped

She quickened her pace and Blaine followed, grinning from ear to ear.

His plan had worked. Blaine couldn't say he was surprised though. His plans always worked. This girl had turned out to be more interesting than he had first anticipated. His curiosity had been piqued and he was determined to figure out what made Lily tick. All it would take was killing any Super Mutants that happened to get in their way. Not a bad deal. Once he had satiated his curiosity, he'd make her pay for taking his sword. Sure, she'd returned it, but that didn't erase the fact that she had stolen it in the first place.

Besides, Blaine had already promised himself that he'd kill her. And he was a man of his word. Usually.

**Author's Note:**

_Thanks for all the reviews folks! I hadn't expected to get this many reviews for just a few chapters._

_Anyway, one reviewer asked for the stats for Blaine and Lily. _

_I couldn't work out the exact stats and perks (I don't have Fallout anymore. Stupid dog scratched my disk. Don't ask). But you can use your imagination I suppose. :)_

_Blaine's SPECIAL points would be dealt out mostly in Charisma, Strength, Intelligence and maybe agility or perception. Charisma is his main trait though. He would have high small guns, melee weapons and speech skills._

_Lily's would be Intelligence, Perception, agility and luck. Focus on intelligence. She would have high science, small guns and medicine skills. Reasonably high sneak as well._

_I can't remember what perks there are, but again- use your imagination. Hope that helps! :D_

_Oh, one more thing that struck me while reading reviews. A lot of people saw Blaine as "insanely evil" or something along those lines. In my mind, Blaine isn't really meant to be evil. He's just a selfish, arrogant jerk. _

_Thanks everybody!_

_MK, Out._


	7. It Takes Two to Tango

Lily ducked behind the corner, reloading her new Chinese assault rifle as bullets tore into the wall. The super mutant crouched back down behind a crate at the end of the corridor which absorbed Blaine's fire as he leaped out from cover, Magnum blazing. The mutant roared a challenge and popped up, firing wildly. Blaine crouched down at Lily's side, his face split into a wide grin.

"Doesn't get much better than this, does it?" he laughed.

Lily snorted and unleashed a salvo of blind fire from behind the corner.

"If it doesn't, then you might as well just shoot me now."

There was another roar and a renewed barrage of burning lead.

"STUPID HUMANS! DIE ALREADY!"

"This guy is really starting to get on my nerves," panted Lily.

Blaine cocked his head to the side his expression ponderous. He adjusted his hat and straightened up to his full height.

"I've got a plan," he said, adding a wink as an exclamation.

Before Lily could reply, Blaine leapt out from behind cover and began sprinting down the corridor. Instantly, he was engulfed in a storm of bullets and crumpled to the ground. The Super Mutant bellowed in triumph and thumped his chest. Lily's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She dashed out into the hallway and jammed her finger down on the trigger, aiming at the now exposed head of the super mutant. The mutant's body shuddered and jerked as it's head exploded in a mess of blood and brain matter. The headless corpse keeled over and hit the floor with a loud crash. Lily rushed over to Blaine, placing her rifle on her back.

"Blaine!"

She crouched down beside him and shook his shoulders. To her surprise, his eyes flew open and he winked once again.

"Gotcha."

Lily groaned and hastily released his shoulders. Blaine sat up and brushed himself down, twisting at a bullet lodged in his shoulder plate. Lily shook her head in astonishment.

"What the hell were you thinking?"

Blaine tapped his forehead.

"Elementary, my dear Watson. That ugly bastard refused to come out from behind cover so I decided to lure him out," said the mercenary, talking as if he were addressing a child.

"You could have been killed!"

"If you were paying attention, you would have noticed three things. One, I'm wearing combat armour. Two, that mutant had terrible aim. And three, at that range, his rifle wouldn't have been able to pierce my armour anyway. I knew exactly what I was doing."

Blaine got to his feet, smiling smugly.

"I _am_ the best, after all," he added.

"Your modesty continues to astound me," snorted Lily. She turned her back on the mercenary and began walking down the corridor.

The bickering had continued without pause from Rivet City to the Jefferson Memorial and showed little signs of letting up. Not exactly a good start for the fledgling partnership but certainly a fun one. Antagonizing the Vault girl continued to entertain Blaine to no end. In the process, Blaine had made some progress in solving the Rubix Cube which was the girl's psyche.

As he had already known, she had a short temper and seemed to be highly defensive, quick to verbally spar with Blaine at a moment's notice. Not only that, she was constantly alert, bordering on jumpy. A product of fear. Obviously, the Wasteland had begun to take its toll on her already. She was highly educated, often using terms and language which only a scientist would use. This intelligence had instilled in the girl a misguided sense that she knew what she was doing. Despite this, Blaine had to admit that she learned fast and was able to adept to dangerous situations with surprising speed. However, none of this told Blaine why she had saved him. Luckily, he had all the time in the world.

They made their way through the memorial, encountering more mutants which were finished off in a swift fashion. Along the way, Lily made a point to search every nook and cranny with a dogged determination, leaving no stone unturned as if her father could be found hiding in a cabinet. This made the process of exploring the Memorial pain stakingly slow. Eventually, they came across the Memorial Rotunda. The huge structure was suspended above a pool of murky water and was comprised of rusted metal and dusty glass. Inside was what appeared to be a control room, bristling with a mind boggling array of buttons and panels.

"So what exactly was your father doing here?" asked Blaine as they entered the control room. Lily ignored him, instead beginning to scour the area from panel to panel. Blaine cleared his throat.

The girl sighed and turned to face him.

"Why do you care?"

"I don't," said Blaine with a shrug. "I'm just curious."

Lily opened her mouth and seemed to hesitate before answering Blaine's question.

"He...was a scientist. He was working on something called Project Purity."

For a brief second, Blaine's eyes widened before he caught himself. Lily's own eyes narrowed as she saw Blaine's reaction.

"You've heard of it?"

The mercenary waved his hand dismissively and shook his head.

"Of course not. I'll leave the experiments to you egg heads."

Lily's eyes narrowed further and she continued to stare at Blaine, her lips pursed. Blaine smiled and wagged a finger in her face.

"Didn't your Dad ever tell you that it's rude to stare?"

"Yes, he did in fact. And I'm assuming that your Father failed to mention to you that you were dropped on your head as a baby?"

Blaine chuckled as Lily turned away from him, obviously satisfied with having the final word. She fiddled with the monitor, but the screen remained black. Blaine watched her fruitless efforts with an amused smile before he spotted a number of holotapes stacked atop one of the panels. Lily seemed to have seen them too, as she bounded towards the panel with an uncharacteristic spring in her step. Blaine craned his head over her shoulder as she hurriedly plugged one of the holotapes into her Pip Boy.

"Come on, Dad. Give me _something,_" she muttered. Blaine couldn't miss the desperation in her voice.

The Pip Boy beeped as it registered the holotape. Both Blaine and Lily found themselves waiting with bated breath as the holotape was uploaded into the device. Finally, there was a hiss of static followed by a voice. Blaine stiffened. He had heard that voice before, a long time ago.

_Well, here we are again. Project Purity and me. It's been close to twenty years since my last entry, as I left all of this behind to make a life for my daughter._

Lily drew in a breath. Blaine glanced at her out of hte corner of his eye. She was staring at her Pip Boy intently, completely ignoring Blaine's presense. Blaine's brow furrowed, racking his brain. Blaine remembered him, the source of the voice, the man in the white coat. His name was on the tip of Blaine's tongue.

_We spent that time in Vault 101, tucked away from the rest of the world. It wasn't perfect, but it was safe, and that's all I could have hoped for. Now, my daughter is a grown woman. Beautiful, intelligent, confident. Just like her mother. _

Lily's lips twitched, curling into a smile.

"Dad," she breathed.

_And as hard as it was to admit it, she doesn't need her daddy anymore._

"James," whispered Blaine.

Lily whirled around, her eyes wide.

"What did you just say?"

Blaine cursed himself mentally. An unacceptable mistake on his part. He opened his mouth to reply, working furiously to think up a way to worm his way out of the situation.

"Of course I don't, I was just-"

He paused and frowned. Lily tapped her foot on the floor impatiently.

"I'm waiting?"

Blaine raised his hand.

"Shhh. Do you hear that?"

"Hear wha-"

Blaine grabbed Lily's wrist and dragged her down to the ground. Her yell was muffled by Blaine's hand. At that moment, three men decked out with combat armour and bristling with weaponry burst into the room. Blaine kept his hand clamped over Lily's mouth, pressing her against the ground despite her muted objections. The pair was hidden from view by the control module. Blaine watched the newcomers ascending the staircase to the rotunda, guns raised. Blaine drew his magnum.

"Talon Company mercs."

Lily managed to wrestle her way out of Blaine's grip and reached up to grab the rest of the holotapes. She placed them carefully into her pack.

"What the hell are they doing here?" she hissed.

"Good question," growled Blaine. "I'm sure we'll get an answer soon enough. In the mean time, follow my lead."

"You have a plan?"

Blaine shook his head and grinned.

"This is the part where we improvise."

"Improvise?" gulped Lily.

Blaine jumped to his feet just as the first merc entered the control room. The merc gave a surprised yell and swung around his rifle to point at Blaine. The rifle hit the floor with a clatter, along with the merc's hand. The merc howled in agony, desperately clutching at his mangled stump. His screams came to an abrupt stop as the muzzle of a Magnum was shoved into his mouth. The merc froze. His companions waited hesitantly on the staircase, rifles aimed at Blaine's head.

Blaine maneuvered his hostage between himself and the mercenaries as Lily crouched behind him, rifle at the ready. The hostage made a gurgling sound which Blaine assumed meant "Don't shoot!"

"Sorry boys, this party's invite only," said Blaine, eyes darting towards the guns of the two on the stairs. They both held double barrelled shotguns. Obviously, they had planned to go close range.

"You're making a big mistake," snarled one of the mercs. This one appeared to be the leader. His comrade, the larger of the two, nodded fervently, his grip tightening around the shotgun. "We want the girl from Vault 101. Where is she?"

Blaine frowned and pushed the pistol further down his hostage's gullet. The hired gun whimpered but remained still.

"Who sent you?"

The lead merc snorted.

"You really think I'm going to tell you?

Blaine sighed.

"I suppose not."

He squeezed the trigger.

The bullet exploded out of the back of the man's skull and kept going until it collided with the forehead of the larger merc. His head burst like a watermelon hit with a sledgehammer. The lead merc yelled in surprise and anger. Blaine shoved aside the headless body of his hostage and aimed his Magnum. Before he could pull the trigger, his ears were filled with the sharp rattle of an assault rifle and the lead merc collapsed, clutching at his leg.

Blaine whistled and shot Lily a surprised look as he holstered his gun. The Vault girl shrugged.

"How's that for improvising?" she said with a mocking edge in her voice.

"Not bad, 101. Not bad at all."

He advanced upon the moaning mercenary and hauled him to his knees.

"Who sent you?"

"Go to hell!" snarled the hired gun.

Blaine groaned in exasperation. He hated the stubborn ones. He let go of the merc's throat and raised Sam. Lily gave him a wary look.

"Blaine...Don't do anything rash."

As soon as she had finished the sentence, the blade plunged into the merc's already injured leg. Lily's shocked gasp was drowned out by the merc's howl of agony. Blaine continued to fix the merc with his icy gaze.

"You ready to talk yet?"

The merc was breathing hard, his eys screwed shut. He said nothing. Sam crackled with electricity and the merc pitched over onto his side, twitching wildly. A bloodcurdling scream escaped his mouth as electricity coursed through his body.

"Stop it!" shouted Lily, grabbing hold of Blaine's arm. Blaine didn't budge and the merc continued writhing on the floor.

"For God's sake, you're killing him!"

Blaine chuckled and the blue light died as he pulled the blade from the merc's leg with a sickening squelch. The merc continued to twitch on the floor, curling into a ball. Blaine leaned over and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Who sent you?"

The merc opened his eyes and much to Blaine's delight, they were filled with fear.

"A man named Burke."

Lily gasped.

"Burke? I should have known..."

Blaine's face twisted into a scowl. Burke had hired more than one mercenary for the job.

"That back stabbing son of a bitch," he muttered. The smile returned to Blaine's face immediately and he straightened up, returning his sword to its sheath. He tipped his hat to the still twitching merc.

"I'll be seeing you around."

He stepped over the body and made his way towards the exit. A hand on his shoulder made him pause mid step. Lily turned him roughly around to face her. Her expression was stern.

"You're just going to leave him here?"

"Would you rather I kill him?"

"He's going to bleed to death if we don't do something," she stated, gesturing towards the merc's leg wound.

Blaine tilted his head. Now this was interesting.

"What do you propose we do then?"

Lily was already pulling out a stimpak and leaning over the merc. But before she could inject it into the wounded area, the merc's head exploded, showering her with a crimson spray. Blaine's gun disappeared into his trenchcoat once more.

"There. Problem solved."

All of a sudden, Blaine found himself on his back with Lily pounding at his face. He quickly kicked her off and scrambled to his feet. The girl leaped at him again and threw a wild right at his cranium. Blaine ducked and grabbed her arm, using her own momentum to send her sprawling.

"What the hell is your problem?" he growled.

"My problem? MY problem?" she yelled as she got to her feet. "You killed that man for no reason!"

"You were going to waste a stimpak on him. You might need that later on. And besides, don't forget that he was trying to kill you just a minute ago."

"You didn't have to murder him!"

Blaine's gazed coolly at the girl.

"The Wasteland is a harsh place, Lily. I guarantee you that if I had let him live, he would have come after you again without a second of hesitation."

By now, the anger had drained from Lily's face. She was breathing hard, her fists clenched tightly at her side.

"You're a monster." She stated it as if it was a cold, hard fact.

"I may be a monster but at least I'm alive. One of these days you're going to have to wake up."

Lily glared at him one last time before storming towards the exit without a word. Blaine followed her, shaking his head. Very interesting indeed.

* * *

Colin Moriarty loved two things in life. Money and power. In Megaton, he had no shortage of either. His saloon was filled with a constant flow of down on their luck Wastelanders looking to drown their sorrows with alcohol and sex. This allowed Moriarty to maintain his stranglehold on the town. Many liked to think of Lucas Simms as the glue that held the town together, but Moriarty knew better. He held all the stroke. In Megaton, Moriarty's word was law.

Moriarty leaned over the balcony outside the saloon, surveying his kingdom. He took another drag from his cigarette. Not exactly healthy for a man his age. But in the Wasteland, chances were that something else was going to kill you anyway. There was a soft thud, barely audible in the evening hush. Moriarty glanced towards the source of the noise and spotted a large man approaching him from the side. Moriarty eyed him up and down, quickly gauging his value. The man was tall, well over six feet and was clad in black combat armour that seemed ready to burst under the stress of the man's bulging musculature. His face was hidden from view by a gleaming silver helmet molded into the shape of a grinning skull. The man continued to walk towards Moriarty, moving with unusual grace for a man of his size. Most men would have quailed at the sight but Moriarty barely batted an eyelid. No man in their right mind would dare to touch Moriarty in this town.

The Irishman turned to face the stranger and smirked, making it clear that he wasn't intimidated by the brute's little mask. A pair of piercing blue orbs gazed at Moriarty through the eyeholes. The man extended a frying pan sized hand.

"The name's Renault," he said. The man's voice was deep and gravelly, slightly muffled by the helmet obscuring his features.

Moriarty stared at the mammoth appendage with a slight hint of disdain flitting across his face.

"Colin Moriarty. What can I do you for?"

His arms remained crossed over his chest. Renault's hand returned to his side. He cleared his throat before speaking once more.

"I'm looking for someone."

"Well, we have quite a few lovely ladies in my fine establishment," he said and gestured towards the saloon. "Might I recommend Nova? She costs a pretty penny, but I guarantee that-"

"That's not I meant," interjected the giant.

Moriarty's face twitched slightly. He did not like being interrupted.

"Pray tell then, what exactly do you mean?"

"The girl from Vault 101. Do you know where she is?"

An eyebrow arched towards the sky. The Vault girl sure was popular. A lot of gossip passed through the bar, some more reliable than others. Moriarty made sure to keep tabs on the more interesting individuals who had wet their whistle in the Saloon. Little Miss Vault 101 was one of those individuals. Unfortuantely for Renault, information wasn't free. Moriarty took a deep drag of his cigarette before replying.

"I might," he said simply. A smoke ring billowed out of the Irishman's mouth. He studied Renault's mask, gauging his reaction. While the mask made Renault's expression impossible to read, Moriarty saw that those steely eyes narrowed slightly. He continued, "But I'll tell you the same thing I told the guy with the sword. It's going to cost you."

Renault's eyes flashed.

"Man with a sword?" The masked man's voice remained calm but Moriarty detected a hint of excitement.

"A jack ass with a trench coat and some fancy sword came in here asking about the Vault kid. He obviously valued the sword more than..." Moriarty trailed off, stopping himself before he could say more. He had already revealed too much for free. He wasn't running a charity.

His eyes widened as he saw Renault produce a large sack from the satchel at his side. There was the unmistakeable tinkling of bottle caps as Renault shook the sack.

"My employer told me that you wouldn't be especially forthcoming with information. Perhaps this will loosen your tongue?"

Moriarty grinned and reached for the sack.

"Lad, I can feel it getting looser by the second."

He took the sack in his hands and bounced it up and down, judging it's weight. He was silent for a moment before nodding at Renault.

"From what I've heard, she was last seen around Rivet City. Anything else?"

"Yes, there is one more thing," said the masked man as he reached behind his back.

Suddenly, there was a blinding pain ripping through Moriarty's torso. He tried to scream but there was a heavy hand clamped over his mouth. The knife was ripped out of the Irishman's stomach and then plunged into his throat. Moriarty's lifeless corpse slumped to the ground, eyes blank. Renault began walking away, wiping his blade on his breastplate. He was gone before anyone had even noticed the mangled cadaver on the balcony.

Behind his mask, a smile crept across his weatherbeaten face.

"Looks like our paths will cross again, Ricky."


End file.
